Agency Amid rising cholera cases and deaths, especially on Lagos Island, the Lagos Water Corporation has started providing potable water to the affected areas as part of measures to curb the spread. The Managing Director of the corporation, Mukhtaar Tijani, in a statement on Saturday, said water was supplied to the Oju Olokun community and Adeniji Adele. “This immediate intervention by the corporation is to minimise the spread of the deadly cholera disease by distributing safe and clean water to residents.
“The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, in one of his statements, stated that Lagos Island has the highest number of suspected cholera cases in the state. “According to the World Health Organisation, cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera,” he said. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported an outbreak of cholera in 30 states of the federation and urged state governments to prioritise access to safe water, basic sanitation and proper hygiene practices.
The centre, in an advisory released to the public, healthcare workers and state governments on mitigating the spread of the disease, reported a total of 1,141 suspected cases of cholera, with 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths across 96 local government areas in 30 states from Jan. 1 to June 11. The NCDC noted that 10 states – Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasa.
