Cholera Outbreak In Plateau Kills 8 People, 61 Hospitalised

cholera (1)

Authorities have confirmed an outbreak of cholera in Namu village in the Qua’pan Local Government Area of Plateau state.

“Yes, there has been an outbreak of cholera in Namu village, eight people have been killed while 61 others have been hospitalised,” the Plateau State Epidemiologist, Dr Raymond Yuryit, said in Namu on Sunday.

Namu, a village at the Plateau and Nasarawa States border, hosts displaced people in the violent crisis that broke out in the Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Yuryit said this when receiving the Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Alhassan Barde, who had gone to assess the situation.

According to him, those hospitalised had been diagnosed with the disease and had been admitted into various health centres.

Yuryit, who described cholera as a ‘deadly disease’ that could kill “within the shortest possible time because it dehydrates the victim, leading to severe gastro-intestinal impact”, attributed the outbreak to overcrowding, dirty environment and the consumption of unhygienic food and water.

He explained further that the Namu victims suffered chronic diarrhoea and vomiting, saying that many had been hit by the disease before government intervened.

He noted, however, that the epidemic was not altogether a surprise as the area had lots of internally displaced persons from Nasarawa State, a development that had put much pressure on the environment and portable drinking water.

“But we are happy that the situation is already under control,” he said.

Juryit therefore appealed to the government to provide portable water to rural dwellers, pointing out that dirty water was the main cause of the epidemic.

He also called on people in the area to promptly report any case of diarrhoea or vomiting to the nearest health centre, saying that quick action could minimise casualty rates.

He thanked the Plateau and Nasarawa States Governments for their quick response to the report, lauding the SEMAs for their massive support.

He also called on government at all levels to ensure that the monthly sanitation exercise was taken seriously, especially in rural areas, to ensure good hygiene for rural dwellers.