Nigeria Reports 170 Suspected Cholera Cases In One Week, Sees Drop In Death Rate

Nigeria recorded 170 suspected cholera cases and three deaths across Lagos, Kogi and Zamfara states for the week of July 15 to July 21.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shared the update Wednesday, noting that the death rate for this period was 1.8%, down from 2.9% the previous week.

Nigeria has had 4,809 suspected cholera cases and 156 deaths across 35 states since the start of the year. This is an increase, compared to the 2,740 cases reported in the same period in 2023, Premium Times reported.

So far, this year has recorded 156 deaths from cholera, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 3.2%. This was higher than the 83 deaths recorded in the same period in 2023, which had a CFR of 3.0%.

Cholera spreads through contaminated water and food, and is caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms of cholera include severe, painless and watery diarrhea.

The NCDC said it had distributed medical supplies for treating and preventing cholera to medical centers across the country. The agency also provided support to states like Lagos and Ogun, including daily updates and progress checks on response efforts.

Furthermore, the NCDC has been training laboratory scientists on how to collect and analyze samples and training community mobilizers on key cholera prevention messages.

The agency has also distributed jingles, flyers and posters with important information about cholera prevention to all states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Recently, Ogun saw a massive improvement in its cholera CFR along with other states in Nigeria, as it dropped to 2.9% from 3.5%.

Nigeria had declared a state of emergency on cholera in June due to a CFR of 3.5%, which was higher than the national expected average of one percent.

The agency highlighted the progress compared to previous years, with a 5% decrease in total deaths and a 7% drop in suspected cases from the same period in 2023.