Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumum, highlighted these issues during a press conference on Thursday.

As of July 3, 2024, a total of 63 deaths and 2,102 suspected cholera cases have been reported. The ongoing heavy rains have led to significant flooding in several states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), exacerbating the risk of cholera spread.

“We are calling on states and local government councils to intensify and step up efforts to avert flood-related disasters in their domains as we approach the peak of the flooding season,” Terlumum stated.

He emphasized the need for immediate action to clear blocked drainages, noting that some states have already experienced severe flooding since April. This has resulted in casualties, displacement, and loss of property.

Terlumum also confirmed that there has been no release of water from any dams within or outside Nigeria. For the Kainji and Jebba Dams on the River Niger, water is still being impounded in their reservoirs.

River flooding is expected to increase from this month, with states such as Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba, and the FCT likely to be affected.

The minister advised, “Clearing of blocked drainage systems and canals, relocation of people living along waterways, and desilting of river channels and canals by states and local governments are crucial measures to mitigate flood impacts.”

These recommendations aim to prevent further flooding and minimize the health risks associated with cholera and other waterborne diseases.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) disclosed the alarming increase, with the case fatality rate standing at 3%. NCDC Director General, Jide Idris, provided these updates during a briefing on Tuesday, stating that the cases were recorded as of June 30, 2024.

“As at 30th June 2024, we have recorded a total number of 2,102 suspected cases, 63 deaths across 33 states and 122 LGAs with a case fatality rate of 3.0 per cent,” Idris said.

He emphasized the rapid response measures being deployed, including effective mobilization, harmonization, and distribution of resources to support affected states.

These efforts cover various response areas such as coordination, surveillance, case management, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement, water sanitation and hygiene, vaccination, logistics, and research.

Idris identified Lagos, Bayelsa, Abia, Zamfara, Bauchi, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Delta as the states contributing about 90% of the cases.

He attributed the outbreak to the consumption of contaminated water and food, highlighting the highly contagious nature of cholera.

He also pointed out inadequate toilet facilities, poor sanitation, and a lack of safe water as key factors hindering the eradication of cholera in the country.

The recently activated National Cholera Multisectoral Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is providing strategic coordination to tackle the outbreak.

The State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, gave the advice during a state multi-agency news briefing and update on cholera outbreak on Monday in Lagos.

The commissioner said that history taken from no fewer than 500 suspected cholera cases in the state showed that some of the patients indicated consuming some street beverages.

He, however, said that most patients talked about other forms of access to drinks, including sachet water, bottled water, carbonated drinks, noting that street beverages were common in the state.

“It is what a lot of people consume on their way to and from work or after school. So, it’s not surprising that a few of our suspected cases referred to the consumption of a beverage.

“However, liquid beverages are produced in a batch. And once the batch is produced, it is distributed and consumed.

“So, when we go back to a particular location where they are manufacturing street beverages, we may not find anything at all because the batch that was contaminated has been completely distributed.

“My advice to the public is check the NAFDAC number of beverages bought on the street, if it’s not certified by NAFDAC, avoid it,” he warned

The NCDC boss stressed the need for the country to embrace the use of vaccines and other preventive measures to curb the spread of the acute diarrhoeal infection.

Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by the ingestion of the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, in contaminated water and food.

No fewer than 4,364 people have died out of the 139,730 Nigerians suspected to have been infected with the disease across the country in the last four years, an investigation by Saturday PUNCH has indicated. The incidence rate was derived from an analysis of the weekly cholera situation reports released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control between 2021 and 2024.

Recall that the NCDC recently alerted the public to the increasing trend of cholera cases across the country as the rainy season intensifies. In a statement signed by Idris on Thursday, June 13, 2024, the agency said that from January 1 to June 11, 2024, a total of 1,141 suspected cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 30 deaths from cholera had been reported from 96 local government areas in 30 states of the federation.

The NCDC listed the 10 states that contributed 90 per cent to the burden of cholera as Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos. As of then, the Lagos State Ministry of Health said it had recorded 350 suspected cases of the disease in 29 wards across multiple LGAs with 17 confirmed cases and 15 fatalities attributed to severe dehydration caused by delayed presentation.

However, on Friday, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said the cholera incidence rate in the state had risen to 417 suspected cases, and 35 confirmed cases, with 24 deaths.

In a post made on his Instagram handle on Friday afternoon, Abayomi said, “The situation report as of June 19, 2024, indicated 417 suspected cases, 35 confirmed cases, and 24 recorded deaths.”

“Let’s adhere strictly to personal and environmental hygiene. Let’s stay safe #ForAGreaterLagos.”

He said the cases were reported from the Agege, Badagry, Ikeja, Mushin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo, Alimosho, and Eti-Osa areas of the state.

Others he mentioned include Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island, Shomolu, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos Mainland, and Surulere.

Also, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, told our correspondent on Thursday that the state had recorded one death and 14 cases.

This implies that in the last 12 days, the incidence rate of the disease in the country for this year had hit 1,222 suspected cases, 88 confirmed cases, and 40 fatalities.

The NCDC, however, stated that a multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, led by the centre and comprising the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, had been providing support to the affected states.

With the latest incidence rate from Ogun and Lagos, investigations by Saturday PUNCH showed that a total of 4,364 deaths had been recorded out of the 139,730 people suspected to have been infected by the disease across the country since 2021.

Going by one of the NCDC’s cholera situation reports for week 52, there were a total of 111,062 suspected cases of the disease with 3,604 deaths across 435 local government areas in 34 states of the federation in 2021.

Another Cholera Week 52 report published by the NCDC and analysed by our correspondent revealed that in 2022, the country recorded 23,763 suspected cases with 592 deaths across 271 LGs in 33 states of the federation.

In 2023, there was a reduction in the incidence rate of the disease as the country recorded 3,683 suspected cases with 128 deaths across 166 LGs in 31 states of the country.

The prevalence rate of the disease further went down in 2024 with 1,141 suspected cases and 30 deaths recorded across 84 LGs in 30 states of the federation.

Lagos has reported 17 confirmed cholera cases and 15 fatalities to date.

Laboratory investigations have identified the strain as cholera sub-type O-1, which is associated with more severe diseases.

The Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, stated on X that this strain has the potential for widespread dissemination.

Community-based case finding and contact tracing have revealed that the number of cases has peaked and is now significantly declining.

The geographical distribution of suspected cases by Local Government Area shows Lagos Island as the epicenter with 106 cases, followed by Kosofe with 49, and other areas with varying numbers of cases.

Support is being received from the NCDC, WHO Nigeria, UNICEF Nigeria, and local NGOs, which are raising awareness and conducting community-based surveillance efforts.

Malawi received the initial shipment of tests, kicking off a global diagnostics programme aimed to speed up the detection of outbreaks.

In total, more than 1.2 million tests will be distributed to 14 high-risk countries over the coming months, the UN health agency said in a statement.

“Countries that will receive kits in the coming weeks in this largest-ever global deployment include those currently severely impacted by cholera outbreaks, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Syria, and Zambia,” the statement said.

The programme is a joint venture, with the Gavi vaccine alliance handling funding and coordination and the UN children’s agency UNICEF taking care of procurement.

WHO said that it and the Global Task Force on Cholera Control were also lending their support.

The programme is aimed at helping countries speed up and improve the accuracy of cholera outbreak detection and response by boosting routine surveillance and testing capacity, the organisations said.

“We are experiencing an unprecedented multi-year upsurge in cholera cases worldwide, and today’s announcement provides a critical boost in the fight against the disease,” Gavi’s chief programme officer Aurelia Nguyen said in the statement.

Cholera, which is contracted from a bacterium generally transmitted through contaminated food or water, causes diarrhoea and vomiting and can be especially dangerous for young children.

Cases have been surging in recent years, with 473,000 globally reported to WHO in 2022 — double the previous year — and preliminary data indicating that more than 700,000 cases were reported last year.

The soaring number of outbreaks has created unprecedented demand for vaccines from impacted countries.

Even though the global supply of oral cholera vaccines ballooned eighteen-fold between 2013 and 2023, the surging demand has created a global shortage, Friday’s statement said.

WHO last month called for “immediate action” to address the shortage, warning of “unprecedented pressure on the global stockpile of vaccines”.

The situation, it said Friday has forced delays in preventative vaccination campaigns to preserve doses for emergency outbreak responses.

At the same time, recurring outbreaks in countries where emergency vaccination campaigns have already been carried out show a clear need to improve the speed and accuracy in identifying areas where new or persistent transmission is occurring, according to the statement.

“Surveillance diagnostics help pinpoint hotspots with great precision.

“This allows partners to target cholera vaccines to exactly the time and place where the limited supply will save the most lives,” Leila Pakkala, head of UNICEF’s supply division, said in the statement.

No fewer than 429 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states across 24 Local Government Areas in the country.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

Cholera is a very contagious disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea. It takes between 12 hours and five days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water.

Both adults and children are at risk of contracting the disease, but children are mostly affected.

Unfortunately, most of those infected will have no or mild symptoms, but the bacteria are present in their faeces for one to 10 days after infection, and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.

Below are the five health tips to take against cholera

1. Drink and use safe water: Drink clean bottled or boiled water. Make sure the water is also safely stored to avoid contamination. Use clean water to cook, brush, and wash your dishes and fruits and vegetable.

2. Use the toilet appropriately: Use toilets or manage the sanitation facilities safely even when you want to get rid of feaces. Ensure that you poop at least 30 metres (98 feet) away from any body of water, including wells, and then bury your poop.

3. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently: This is important, especially after using the toilet. Rub soapy, wet hands together for at least 15 seconds before rinsing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You can never overdo this.

4. Eat cooked food: Eat thoroughly cooked foods: Don’t eat raw or undercooked meat or shellfish. If you can, avoid street vendor food, and if you must buy a meal from a street vendor, make sure it is cooked in your presence and served hot.

5. Disinfect surfaces, floors, furniture, and toilets. Clean food preparation areas and kitchenware with soap and treated water and let dry completely before reuse. Bathe and wash clothes or diapers 30 metres (100 feet) away from drinking water sources.

Overall, a multifaceted approach is key to controlling cholera -A combination of surveillance, water, sanitation and hygiene, social mobilisation, treatment, and oral cholera vaccines are used.

In its most recent weekly report on the cholera situation for weeks 44–47, which our correspondent got on Tuesday, the NCDC made this disclosure.

According to the report, there were suspected instances recorded in 270 Local Government Areas across 33 states.

Vibrio cholerae, a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, is the source of the acute diarrheal illness known as cholera.

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic, seasonal illness that typically manifests during the rainy season and more frequently in unhygienic locations.

According to the research, the age range of 5 to 14 years is the most impacted, with 49% of probable cases being male and 51% being female since the year’s beginning.

The report read in part, “32 states and the FCT have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022. These are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

“In the reporting month, six states reported 1,393 suspected cases: Borno (1,124), Gombe (165), Bauchi (61), Katsina (16), Adamawa (14), and Kano (13).

“There was a 78 per cent decrease in the number of new suspected cases in November Epi weeks 44–47 (1393) compared with October Epi weeks 40–43 (6306).

“In the reporting week, Borno (24), Gombe (14), Bauchi (13), Kano (5), Katsina (1), and Adamawa (1), reported 58 suspected cases.

“Borno, Gombe, and Bauchi states account for 88% of the 58 suspected cases reported in week 47.

“During the reporting week, two Cholera Rapid Diagnostic tests were conducted in Gombe 2 (100% positive).

“Two stool culture tests were conducted from Gombe, 1(100 per cent positive) and Bauchi 1(0 per cent positive) in epi week 47.

“Of the cases reported, there were two deaths with a weekly case fatality ratio (CFR) of 3.4 per cent. There were no new state-reported cases in week 47.

“The National Multi-Sectoral Cholera Technical Working Group continues to monitor response across states.”

It added that six states—Borno (1,2459 cases), Yobe (1,888 cases), Katsina (1,632 cases), Gombe (1,407 cases), Taraba (1,142 cases), and Kano (1,131 cases) —account for 84 per cent of all cumulative cases and 15 LGAs across five states Borno (7), Yobe (4), Taraba (2), Gombe (1), and Zamfara (1)—reported more than 200 cases each this year.

The NCDC disclosing this in a post on its official Facebook page, said reporting suspected cases of cholera early increases the chances of survival.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae; a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium.

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, with the first series of cholera outbreaks reported between 1970 and 1990.

Humans are the main reservoir of Vibrio cholera but water, mollusc, fish and aquatic plants are potential reservoirs.

The NCDC said “With an incubation period of at least 2 hours, cholera can kill within hours if untreated.

“It is easily transmitted in areas with poor sanitation hygiene practices and lack of clean water. Reporting suspected cases early increases the chances of survival.”

Recall that a total of 2,523 suspected cases of cholera including 78 deaths have been reported from 31 states, The PUNCH reports.

The latest data obtained from the NCDC showed that the case fatality rate of cholera stands at 3.1 percent.

The report read in part, “Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age group <5 years is the most affected age group for male and female. “Of all suspected cases, 50% are males and 50% are females. “Six states – Taraba (639 cases), Cross River (591), Katsina (141 cases), kano (155cases), Ondo (117 cases), and Benue (101 cases) account for 69% of all cumulative cases. “Six LGAs across two states Cross River (3) and Taraba (3) reported more than 100caseseach this year,” the report read in part.