Cholera Cases Hit Over 65,000 in Nigeria, NCDC Issues Warning

Nigeria has seen over 65,000 suspected cholera cases in 35 states and around 195 local government areas this year, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris, shared this information on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja. He pointed out that weekly cholera cases have dropped significantly from the peak seen earlier this year.

But Mr Idris cautioned that this drop in cases should not be seen as the end of the outbreak.

"The encouraging news is that weekly cases have declined substantially from the peak recorded earlier in the season. The proportion of reported cases resulting in death is also considerably lower than it was at the same time last year," he said.

"This is important progress. But I want to be very clear: the outbreak is not over."

He explained that Nigeria is still in the rainy season, which can lead to an increase in cholera cases. Flooding can contaminate water sources and overwhelm sanitation systems.

Mr Idris noted that one of the key lessons from this outbreak is the need for early access to treatment. People who seek help early tend to have better outcomes.

"In Borno State, where the majority of this year’s cases have occurred, outcomes have been better where treatment has been brought closer to affected communities," he said.

However, he stressed that treatment alone cannot stop the outbreak. "But the data are telling us something equally important: while treatment saves lives, we cannot treat our way out of cholera."

According to the NCDC boss, unsafe water, open defecation, damaged water distribution systems, poor hygiene infrastructure, and inadequate sanitation in schools, markets, and other public spaces continue to drive the disease.

He urged state and local governments to improve access to safe water and sanitation. They need to strengthen water-quality monitoring, repair essential water infrastructure, and tackle open defecation.

Mr Idris also called on authorities to ensure that high-risk local government areas have working treatment and rapid-response systems.