Angela Onwuzoo Nigeria has been under the grip of an aggressive strain of cholera, with various health authorities grappling to bring the disease, which has claimed the lives of 53, under control. While more infections are reported daily with those already hospitalised battling for their lives, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says dehydration is the major killer of patients diagnosed with acute diarrhoeal infection. The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, warning that severe cases of vomiting and stooling, which are the symptoms of cholera, should not be treated at home.
He recommended that the best course of action for those experiencing severe vomiting and diarrhoea to take is to seek urgent medical attention, rather than drinking salt and sugar solutions, commonly referred to as Oral Rehydration Solutions, at home. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera. 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. Nigeria is experiencing a significant cholera outbreak, with the NCDC reporting over 1,528 suspected cases in 31 states. The outbreak has notably affected Lagos, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, and Nasarawa states.
Lagos, within the last couple of d.