The Scene It was the gathering of ‘Saints’, the ‘Saints’ of the Healthcare industry. Healthcare practitioners in Kenya had gathered for a Conference in June 2017 to seek ways to improve their profession just like all groups do, but it turned out to be a gathering like no other! Their ‘sainthood’ was demystified! Their medical ‘beatification’ was denunciated!! right under their ‘watchful eyes’. Despite their sharp clinical acumen, cholera crept into their midst like a thief in the night and was out ‘to steal, to kill and to destroy’.
But thankfully, their skills saved the day, this sort of scenario is not typical of cholera infection. Lesson; Cholera is no respecter of persons and places Another Scene In September 2017, at an IDP camp in Borno State, Nigeria, 319 cases and 20 deaths were recorded. There was a recurrence in another IDP camp recently.
This environment in contrast to the Healthcare practitioners’ is the classical one that breeds cholera. Since the beginning of 2018, a total of 5,607 suspected cases have been reported from nine States (Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Nasarawa, Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara). The recent outbreak is equally traced to IDP camps.
What it is Cholera is an acute infection of the small intestine caused by the ingestion of bacterium Vibrio cholerae present in faecally contaminated water or food. It is primarily linked to insufficient access to safe water and proper sanitation, its impact can be even more drama.
