Nigeria records 1,336 cholera cases, 79 deaths

Nigeria records 1,336 cholera cases, 79 deaths

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced a total of 1,336 suspected cases of cholera, including 79 deaths, so far in 2023.

The NCDC disclosed this in its latest cholera situation epidemiological report on Monday.

The report revealed that 12 states across 43 local government areas reported the suspected cases, with a case fatality ratio of 5.9 per cent.

The 12 states reporting cases in the country are Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 24 countries continue to report cholera cases. Regarding historical transmission patterns and seasonality, large parts of the world are currently in low or inter-epidemic transmission periods, therefore this number could increase in the months to come.

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.

The report read in part, “Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups 15-24 and >45 years are the most affected age groups for males and females respectively. Of all suspected cases, 53 per cent are males and 47 per cent are females.

“Six states – Cross River (647 cases), Ebonyi (97 cases), Abia (72 cases), Niger (38 cases), and Zamfara (28 cases) account for 96 per cent of all cumulative cases.

“Fifteen LGAs across nine states Ebonyi (4), Cross River (3), Ondo (2), Bayelsa (1), Abia (1), Katsina (1), Sokoto (1) Niger (1) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 5 cases each this year.”

The NCDC said it would continue training on cholera surveillance, hotspot mapping, state-level preparedness and response plans.