Six people have been confirmed dead and at least 160 infected following the outbreak of gyesteritics in some parts of Bauchi metropolis.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Health, Mohammed Yahaya Jalam, to Sunday Independent in his office on Friday. According to him, out of the 160 people infected, 100 have been treated at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, and discharged while the remaining 60 are still receiving treatment.
And a South African company, Zenith Water Projects, has donated cholera eradication materials to Adamawa and Taraba states to curtail the spread of the disease.
Chief Executive Officer of the company, Nicholas Igwe presented the items to the Minister of Water Resources, Obadiah Ando, in Abuja.
Jalam said the government has been able to locate the wards as affected within the metropolis, and has been able to assist the victims, adding: “We have been able to control it by disinfecting the whole wards, so that it does not break out in other wards and local governments, and we have been able to provide free treatment to all the affected persons.
“What causes this cholera outbreak, especially during rainy season, is that most of the communities do not treat their water before using (drinking) because when there is flood, it goes inside the well, and when such water are taken, one will be infected.”
According to him, after disinfecting the wards, they embarked on sensitisation campaign to make sure that people are aware because “it is only when you know where the problem comes from that they can take precautions”.
He further said the outbreak, which would have claimed more lives, was averted due to the quick intervention of the state government.
The commissioner stated that the outbreak is minimal in other local governments, but about 96 per cent was recorded in Bauchi metropolis. He pointed out that they have also received support from the Federal Government with additional drugs to treat the patients, assuring that there are enough drugs in the hospitals to treat the people infected.
“After this exercise, we are going to all the local governments with the environmental sanitation department to embark on serious campaign because of some household complaints like poverty, which cannot allow them address the situation on their own. So we want to parley with local government and ward heads to ensure they help their people, especially in the rural areas,” he stated.
However, Igwe said the donation was in response to the minister’s desire to reach the rural endemic communities.
“Zenith has decided to work along with water resources ministry in proffering solution to immediate prevention of cholera and other water borne diseases.
“Without this type of preventive mechanisms, Nigeria will not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
“We will be ready to provide other solutions, especially our recent rural water plants which have been installed in different rural areas in South Africa,” he said.
Source: All Africa
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