LIVE UPDATES
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, revealed on Sunday that there were 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by cholera reported at Kirikiri Medium Security Prison.
This contradicted the statement made by the Nigerian Correctional Service last Wednesday, June 26, 2024, claiming that the custodial centres nationwide were free of cholera.
The NCoS spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, had previously stated that the routine hygienic measures in place had prevented cholera from entering the correctional centres.
However, a statement released on Sunday by the Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, reported "a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by cholera."
He said urgent medical and environmental measures were successfully implemented in response.
In addition, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also documented 118 suspected cholera cases in Katsina State.
Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as of June 24, 2024, indicated 1,528 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 53 deaths across 107 local government areas in 31 states, resulting in a case fatality rate of 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The most affected states were Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos.
To address the spread of cholera, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of a multi-sectoral cabinet committee on the control of the epidemic, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
Regarding the cholera outbreak in Lagos, Abayomi stated at the weekend update that no new cholera-related deaths had been reported in the last 72 hours, as the government continued to intensify countermeasures to eliminate transmission.
He confirmed ongoing low-grade community transmission as new daily cases and deaths continued.
#
