By Henry Oladele
Following reported cases of cholera in Lagos State, particularly Lagos Island, the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has started supplying potable water to affected areas.
The Managing Director of the corporation, Mukhtaar Tijani, said in a statement on Saturday that LWC would also supply safe water to Oju Olokun community and Adeniji Adele.
He stated that “this immediate intervention by the corporation is to minimise the spread of the deadly cholera disease by distributing safe and clean water to residents.
“The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in one of his statements, stated that Lagos Island has the highest number of suspected cholera cases in the state.
“According to World Health Organisation (WHO), cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholera,” he said.
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported an outbreak of cholera in 30 states of the federation, and urged state governments to prioritise access to safe water, basic sanitation and proper hygiene practices.
The centre, in an advisory released to the public, healthcare workers and state governments on mitigating the spread of the disease, reported a total of 1,141 suspected cases of cholera, with 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths across 96 local government areas in 30 states from Jan. 1 to June 11.
The NCDC highlighted that 10 states—Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos—account for 90 per cent of the cholera burden in the country.
The centre explained that cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, ingested through contaminated water and food.
Water contamination usually results from the faeces of infected individuals, occurring during water collection, transportation or storage at home.
Food can also be contaminated by unclean hands during preparation or consumption, it added.
At-risk populations, the centre said, include those with limited access to clean water, poor sanitation and hygiene, consumers of potentially contaminated food or fruits without proper washing and cooking, and healthcare workers providing direct patient care without standard precautions.
The centre noted that symptoms of cholera include acute, profuse, painless watery diarrhoea (rice water stools), sudden onset vomiting, and may be accompanied by nausea and fever.
Severe cases can lead to death within hours due to dehydration from massive fluid loss.
However, NCDC stressed that most infected individuals (about 80%) may show mild symptoms or be asymptomatic.
It cautioned that the best prevention against cholera include ensuring access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and waste disposal and adopting appropriate hygiene practices, including regular handwashing.(NAN)
