Angela Onwuzoo As the cholera outbreak spreads to 30 states with no fewer than 30 deaths, nutrition and public health experts have advised Nigerians to desist from the habit of consuming unwashed fruits and vegetables. They warned that such an unhygienic practice could expose them to the risk of coming down with cholera, stressing that the killer disease spreads through contaminated food or drinking water, or from person to person as a result of poor hygiene. They noted that following the cholera outbreaks, people should as much as possible wash their fruits and vegetables very well under running water so that they don’t get contaminated by bacteria that are all over the environment.
The Lagos State Ministry of Health, on Saturday, confirmed 350 suspected cases of cholera in 29 wards across multiple LGAs in the state, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths. Already, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said Nigeria recorded 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths from 1 January to 11 June, across 96 local governments in 30 states. Cholera is a highly contagious food and water-borne disease that spreads through direct transmission by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, and indirect transmission due to poor sanitation and lack of handwashing.
Symptoms of cholera include acute, painless watery diarrhea of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting, and fever. According to the NCDC, seve.
