The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has sounded alarm bells over Nigeria’s latest cholera outbreak, asserting that the recurring crisis, which affects thousands of vulnerable Nigerians, is a direct consequence of government’s failure to invest in the provision of safe public water supply. The non-governmental organisation’s warning contained in a statement issued by its Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, follows the Nigerian government’s confirmation of cholera outbreaks in more than 25 states across the country, including Lagos. In a recent advisory, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported that 1,141 suspected cases of the disease have been recorded so far in 2024, with at least 30 deaths resulting from 65 confirmed cases of cholera from January 1 to June 11.
Additionally, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has warned that the current outbreak associated with the cholera subtype known as Serovars O1 is highly aggressive and contagious. The Ministry also announced recently that it had recorded 350 suspected cases of cholera, identifying Lagos Island as the epicentre due to its record of the highest number of suspected cases, at 106. According to CAPPA, as the outbreak ravages, state authorities have been quick to issue safety guidelines and precautionary measures, tasking citizens to maintain cleaner sanitary conditions and hygiene.
However, while sensitisation efforts are necessary, they fall short without a.
