From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has blamed poor and inconsistent reporting of cholera cases from states as one of the major challenges to the country’s response to the cholera outbreak.
The NCDC said this in its latest weekly cholera situation report for weeks 44 to 47, yesterday, via its official website.
It said at the moment it is tackling cholera outbreaks in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NCDC said 583 deaths have been recorded due to cholera, while 23,550 people were suspected to have been infected with the disease between January and November 27, 2022.
According to the centre, suspected cases of cholera had been reported across 270 local government areas in the 32 states and the FCT.
“About 32 states, including Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, and Ekiti and the FCT, have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022.
Others are FCT, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.”
Meanwhile, Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, yesterday promised to sink 10 new boreholes in Akpoha community of Afikpo North local government area of the state before the end of January.
Umahi made the pledge when he visited patients of cholera outbreak in the community.
Cholera outbreak recently claimed no fewer than eight lives in the community with many others hospitalised.
Addressing the people, Umahi said the move would help to tackle water scarcity in the Council.
He thanked the Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area, Mr. Uchenna Ibiam, the Commissioner for Health, Dan Umezurike and Health Workers for their individual and collective efforts at saving lives of the patients, saying his administration would also construct modern toilets in the area within the next two weeks.