From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Over 20 persons are feared dead following an outbreak of cholera disease in Ekureku community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
Ekureku, made up of 12 villages, shares boundry with some parts of Ebonyi state and is an agrararian community.
Investigations by Sunday Sun revealed that the Ekureku community has been faced with the challenges of portable drinking water and poor health facilities lately.
Sources close to the community confided in Sunday Sun that the outbreak of the cholera disease was noticed days ago when some villagers started feeling severe diarrhoea and dehydration.
The source said at first, they thought it was the usual disease that they normally witness during dry season, but discovered that this time the disease was spreading very fast and was killing the affected persons within a few minutes of passing out watery stool.
A village elder who does not want to be quoted, told our reporter that more than 20 persons had allegedly died of the disease in the villages.
According to him, the communities had sent out Save-Our-Soul to their sons and daughters who in health sector to come home to salvage the situation just as they had contacted the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF for a quick intervention.
He disclosed that the two world bodies were on their way to Ekureku for remedial measures.
Special Adviser on Health to Governor Ben Ayade, Dr. David Ushie, said: “Government and WHO have responded, as a team of health officials are already in the affected communities trying to battle the disease.”
