Cholera Outbreak: Niger Gov’t claims situation is under control, as over 320 patients discharged
... As UNICEF donates items to 14,000 households
By: Tunde Bolaji, Minna.
The Niger State Government has claimed that the recent cholera outbreak in some parts of the state is now under control.
The government assured that the situation has been effectively managed, with over three hundred and twenty patients already discharged and declared free of the disease.
This update was revealed during a live radio programme tagged Media Chat, organized by the State Ministry of Information and Strategy, featuring the Commissioner for Primary Health Care, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Dangana.
According to the Commissioner, fewer than ten persons are currently on admission across the state.
Dr. Dangana disclosed that water treatment kits have been donated to over 14,000 households to help curb the spread of the disease.
“We have recorded 14 deaths so far; out of the 327 patients hospitalized, we have discharged virtually all of them, with fewer than ten still on admission for cholera,” he said.
He further explained that, following the outbreak, the State Government immediately activated the State Inter-Sectoral Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Response, the Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), and the Disease Surveillance Systems across the 274 wards and communities in the state.
“We identified isolation centres and also established Cholera Treatment Units (CTUs) in all 25 Local Government Areas of the state, which have significantly helped us in containing the spread,” he added.
Dr. Dangana stated that the Ministry, with support from various MDAs and partners such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has been proactive and is winning the battle against cholera.
He also revealed that the Ministry has intensified its sensitization efforts, reaching over 16,000 school children and conducting awareness campaigns in markets, religious centres, and traditional institutions.
In his remarks, the Health Specialist of UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Dr. Idris Baba, said, “The supplies provided so far are sufficient to treat all identified and admitted cases in the state.”
According to him, “Some of the items include community and periphery AWD kits, cholera kits, 40 cholera beds, Ringer’s lactate, normal saline with giving sets.
“Others include antibiotics, scrubs, disposable gowns, heavy-duty and surgical hand gloves, boots, water purification tablets, chlorine solutions, calcium hypochlorite, and water and stool testing RDTs.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Binta Mamman, stated that the state took immediate action once the outbreak was identified, with all hands on deck to contain the situation.
