Nigerian cholera epidemic
As the rainy season continues, so does the progress of cholera in Nigeria, where 352 people have died in a three-month period. The nation’s Health Ministry has issued a statement that says Nigeria has now seen more than 6,400 cases of the disease since the beginning of June this year, and doctors have confirmed its presence in 12 of the country’s 36 states. The statement continued: “Epidemiological evidence indicates that the entire country is at risk.” Cholera is a water-borne infection that causes severe diarrhoea in sufferers, which can lead to acute dehydration and death if it is not treated. Although it is highly contagious, it is also easily preventable through proper sanitation and clean water. Heavy seasonal rains have been blamed for spreading the recent outbreak so quickly, as in many rural areas village wells are not covered, which allows tainted water into the community’s drinking supply. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Cameroon, 155 people have died from cholera out of 2,000 confirmed cases. In addition, there has been a measles outbreak in four states that has killed 83 people and made over 5,000 people ill.
As the rainy season continues, so does the progress of cholera in Nigeria, where 352 people have died in a three-month period. The nation’s Health Ministry has issued a statement that says Nigeria has now seen more than 6,400 cases of the disease since the beginning of June this year, and doctors have confirmed its presence in 12 of the country’s 36 states. The statement continued: “Epidemiological evidence indicates that the entire country is at risk.”
Cholera is a water-borne infection that causes severe diarrhoea in sufferers, which can lead to acute dehydration and death if it is not treated. Although it is highly contagious, it is also easily preventable through proper sanitation and clean water. Heavy seasonal rains have been blamed for spreading the recent outbreak so quickly, as in many rural areas village wells are not covered, which allows tainted water into the community’s drinking supply.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Cameroon, 155 people have died from cholera out of 2,000 confirmed cases. In addition, there has been a measles outbreak in four states that has killed 83 people and made over 5,000 people ill.