As Nigeria continues to grapple with a cholera outbreak, the death toll in Lagos has reportedly risen to 37, with a total of 401 recorded cases. The situation has prompted the federal government to order an analysis of the water supply, as the outbreak has now spread to neighboring Ogun state.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been monitoring the situation closely, and there is a possibility that a national emergency may be declared to address the spread of the disease.
PUNCH
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No fewer than 37 deaths have been recorded in the current Cholera outbreak, which has hit 30 states, including Lagos and Ogun.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, in a statement on Thursday by the Director of Public Affairs in the state Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, said the state had recorded an additional six cholera deaths as against the previous 15.
She said cholera cases had risen to 401 in the state.
On her part, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, told one of our correspondents that the state had recorded one death and 14 cases.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in its recent report, said from January 1 to June 11, 2024, over 1,141 suspected and over 65 confirmed cases of cholera, resulting in over 30 deaths, had been reported from 96 local government areas in 30 states.
With the six additional deaths in Lagos, and one death in Ogun, the fatalities are no fewer than 37.
The PUNCH had on Monday reported that the resumption of schools on Wednesday after the Sallah holiday could fuel the spread of the disease.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration held an emergency meeting in Lagos over the cholera outbreak in the country.
