The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that the federal government has approved contingency plans to contain the spread of cholera in the country.
News About Nigeria reports that Pate spoke on “The Morning Brief” a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, where he discussed the efforts to combat the infectious disease.
He said that a technical working group was established through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support states in reducing disease transmission and treating those infected.
“We had anticipated the seasonal outbreak some months ago; the President approved contingency financing for the NCDC and that is what has been used so far, in addition to technical financing. The states also have a role to play to release their own funding,” the health minister said.
“31 states are affected, 107 local governments are affected, and about 1,500 cholera cases have been recorded so far in the country.”
The health minister assured Nigerians that the cholera outbreak would be prevented from spreading to more states and local government areas.
“We have to deal with open defecation so that faeces will not come into contact with food and water.
“The cholera outbreak is part of a global phenomenon. Cholera is a public health crisis and disease that comes from contamination of food and water, poor sanisation, developmental challenges, and a deficit in infrastructure, open defecation, prevalent in many parts of the country, is fueling the outbreak.”
Speaking further, Pate called for a multi-sectorial approach to prevent infectious diseases in the country.
The health minister said all stakeholders—the citizens as well as federal, state, and local government administrations—all have preventive roles in ensuring waste management and hygiene sanitation to “see less and less of this issue in years to come.”
“It is not only cholera, by the way, but there are also other infectious diseases like typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and others. So as we improve the physical infrastructure, the urbanisation, and the utilities that are backing that up, we should begin to see healthier population.”
