Cholera Outbreak: Claims 9 Lives in Yobe State—Authorities
By Tada Jutha
The Yobe State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Prof. Muhammad Lawan Gana, has confirmed 132 cases of cholera in five Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Out of the reported cases, nine people were killed in Gujba, Nangere, Fune, Nguru, and Machina, a border community with the Niger Republic.
Gana, in a statement released yesterday (Friday), in Damaturu, disclosed that “the cholera case fatality rate (CFR) of 6.8 percent was due to delays in reporting to the health facilities for prompt treatments.”
Additionally, the commissioner said that 11 cholera cases on admission are from the five affected local council areas.
On the current state of patients in hospitals, he said: “A total of 112 patients have been treated and discharged since the outbreak of cholera in the state.”
The commissioner noted that with the need to scale up the cholera response and support with international, national, and local partners, the state government has declared the cholera outbreaks in the state.
He, therefore, called on health sector partners, traditional and religious leaders, as well as the people, to collaborate with the Ministries of Health, Water Resources, Environment, and Rural Water and Sanitation; and Environment Protection Agencies.
Gana also urged international, national, and local health partners to provide their expertise on cholera response to save people’s lives.
He also challenged the media to use its platforms to inform and educate the public on the dangers of cholera and how to prevent it in the various communities.
