Cholera kills 7 in Abuja
Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja has confirmed it is dealing with a cholera outbreak which has already claimed 7 lives.
Until now, media reports had focused on outbreaks in Nigeria’s northern regions. Since its spread to Abuja, it has ravaged Mpape, Ushafa, sauka communities and Kubwa village.
Confirming the outbreak, Humphrey Okoronkwu, Director of Public Health in the Health and Human Services Secretariat, FCTA, Abuja, said the outbreak in Kwali and Kuje Local Area Councils did not claim any life and had been curtailed, same with that of Sauka, Mpape, and Kubwa village.
He mentioned that the most recent of outbreak occurred at Ushafa where 58 cases were recorded, comprising 36 females and 22 males. He however denied there were five deaths from the disease in Ushafa community.
He noted that the reported outbreak fit into the definition cases of cholera outbreak, while laboratory confirmation was being awaited on some of the cases.
According to Okoronkwu, the announced cases of cholera were confirmed by laboratory tests.
“We are treating them as Cholera so that we won’t take any chances, and our disease surveillance officers in Bwari Area Council are all on the ground in Ushafa, to curtail it,” said Okoronkwu. “We have since sent some medications to Bwari General Hospital as well as chlorine and water guard for the treatment of their drinkable water.”