There is a cholera outbreak in Nigeria and here is all you need to know and how to stay safe.
The Lagos Government officially declared a cholera outbreak in Nigeria on June 9, 2024, following the death of five people in 48 hours.
By June 12, 324 suspected cholera cases had been reported in the state, including 15 people who died and 40 who were discharged. Three suspected cases of cholera were also reported respectively in neighboring Oyo and Ogun States.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) also alerted the public of the increasing rise in cholera cases.
Also, data from the NCDC showed that from the 1st of January to the 11th of June 2024, a total of 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths have been reported from 96 LGAs in 30 States. The 10 states that contributed 90% to the burden of cholera include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos States.
What is Cholera?
Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial disease of the intestines caused by strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is characterized by vomiting, extreme diarrhea, and dehydration and can be fatal leading to death if left untreated.
Its symptoms may range from none to mild, to severe. This is because most people infected with V. cholerae show no symptoms, but the faeces remain in their feces for 1-10 days after infection which is shed back into the environment, potentially infecting others.
Cholera Facts
- Cholera was first discovered in the Ganges delta of India during the nineteenth century.
- There are many serogroups of V. cholerae, but only two (O1 and O139) cause outbreaks according to WHO.
- Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water, so impoverished and poverty-ridden areas are at the highest risk for the outbreak, according to the WHO.
- It takes between 12 hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms.
- Cholera can be endemic or epidemic. A cholera-endemic is an area where confirmed cholera cases were detected during the last 3 years with evidence of local transmission (meaning the cases are not imported from elsewhere). A cholera outbreak/epidemic can occur in both endemic countries and in countries where cholera does not regularly occur.
- Safety precautions like boiling water or drinking only bottled water, avoiding contaminated food, proper hand washing, and oral cholera vaccines can all help to curb the spread of cholera.
Treatment
Rapid rehydration is a major treatment for cholera which involves replenishing the fluids and electrolytes lost during diarrhea and vomiting. An oral rehydration solution is often used to treat moderate dehydration. It’s made of water, glucose, sodium, and potassium. The combination optimizes the absorption of fluid in the intestines, which helps quickly replenish fluids.
However, severely dehydrated patients are at risk of shock and require the rapid administration of intravenous fluids.
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