The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has revealed a concerning increase in cholera cases across the country, with 12 states affected since the beginning of 2023.
In a statement released on Monday, the NCDC disclosed that 922 suspected cases and 32 deaths had been reported, with Cross River state accounting for 70 per cent of the cumulative cases and 50 per cent of all cholera deaths.
According to the NCDC’s epidemiological report, the affected states include Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Sokoto, and Zamfara. The highest number of cases were reported in Cross River with 647 cases, followed by Zamfara with 25, Ebonyi with 11, Abia with 9, Bayelsa with 3, and Kano with 2.
The NCDC noted that the age group above 45 years was the most affected for both males and females. The agency also revealed that a national multi-sectoral Cholera Technical Working Group was monitoring the response across the states.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with the bacteria. While the infection is often mild or without symptoms, it can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.