By Faridat Salifu
The Minister of State for the Environment, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has emphasized the importance of sustainable human and environmental interaction in preventing and controlling cholera.
There has been ongoing cholera outbreak in Nigeria, which has claimed numerous lives and disrupted communities across the country.
According to the latest situation report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the outbreak has resulted in 1,159 suspected cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 30 deaths across 30 states.
The most affected states, contributing 90% of the total cases, include Bayelsa, Lagos, Zamfara, Abia, Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, and Katsina.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Environment has mobilized efforts through the Department of Pollution Control and Environmental Health, as well as the Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria.
These efforts include water and food testing to identify sources of infection, environmental sanitation campaigns, and household water chlorination.
Additionally, support is being arranged for the most affected states with chlorine solutions, water and food testing resources, informational materials, and technical advisory services.
The Ministry’s press statement aims to raise public awareness about cholera prevention and control measures, and to strengthen collaboration with health authorities and other stakeholders in line with the Federal Government’s one health approach.
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Cholera, driven by poor sanitation and hygiene, is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingesting contaminated food or water with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
It poses a global threat to public health, affecting both children and adults, and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
The disease manifests within 12 hours to 5 days of exposure, with early symptoms including frequent watery stool, nausea, and vomiting.
Cholera outbreaks are seasonal in Nigeria, typically occurring during the rainy season, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene practices. Extreme climate events, such as flooding, also exacerbate the spread of the disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a global resurgence of cholera, classifying the current outbreak as a “grade 3 public health emergency,” necessitating a comprehensive WHO system-wide response. Nigeria is one of 14 African countries experiencing this resurgence.
To mitigate the spread of cholera, the Ministry urges all Nigerians to adopt rigorous sanitation and hygiene practices at home and in workplaces.
Other measures suggested to be taken by people include, keeping environments clean and properly disposing of waste, ensuring the use of clean and safe water, boiling suspicious water sources, or treating them with chlorine.
People are advised to avoid locally prepared drinks unless they are known to be hygienically made and ensure regular hand washing with soap under running water, particularly after using the toilet, handling a child who has used the toilet, before preparing food, before and after eating, and after handling animals avoid open defecation and using clean, safe toilets and other measures.
The Ministry also calls on all Commissioners of Environment and Local Government Chairmen to support Environmental Health Officers in enhancing sanitation and hygiene activities through community-led total sanitation programs to curb further transmission of the disease.
The Federal Ministry of Environment reaffirms its commitment to ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all Nigerians, stressing that prevention is both better and cheaper than cure.
