The Federal Government has called on Nigerians to avoid locally made drinks such as kunu, zobo and fura to prevent cholera disease.
It also urged the public to be more vigilant and to imbibe
good sanitation and hygiene practices at home and in their workplace.
The Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako, gave
the directive in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Salako further tasked all and sundry with preventive
measures such as keeping their environment clean always and disposing of waste
properly at designated places.
He said, “Ensure the use of clean and safe water. Water from
suspicious sources should be well boiled or treated by adding one pack of
chlorine solution to 100 parts.
“Avoid locally prepared drinks like kunu, zobo, fura da
nono, koko, fruit juice among others except it is certain that the preparation
was done in a hygienic and safe manner.
“Wash hands regularly with soap under running water,
especially after using the toilet, cleaning a child who has gone to the toilet,
before preparing food, before and after eating, and after playing with animals,
” he said.
He also called on States and Local Governments to increase
environmental health surveillance in places where food and drinks are sold
nationwide.
These places include markets, garages, schools, restaurants,
stadia, religious and sporting event venues.
Salako noted that the measures would help avert the further
spread and transmission of cholera and aid in the prevention and control of the
disease.
He also urged all Commissioners for Environment and the
Local Government Chairpersons to support environmental health officers to step
up sanitation and hygiene activities through enhanced community-led total
sanitation.
He said it is also to strengthen collaboration with the
health authorities and other stakeholders in line with the one health approach
of the federal government.
He added that arrangements had been made to support most
affected states with chlorine solution or tablets, water and food testing
resources to avert further transmission across the country.
Salako noted that a recent situation report from the Nigeria
Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) indicated a total number of 1,159 suspected
cases, 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths across 30 States.
He stated that the most affected states contributing 90 per
cent of the total cases include Bayelsa, Lagos, Zamfara, Abia, Bauchi, Cross
River, Ebonyi, Delta and Katsina
“The ministry has been actively involved through the
Department of Pollution Control and Environmental Health Council of Nigeria
(EHCON) in activities to curtail further transmission of the deadly disease.
“The ministry has been involved through water and food
testing to identify sources of infection, environmental sanitation campaigns
and household water chlorination,” he said.
He explained that cholera is a poor sanitation and
hygiene-driven disease and an acute diarrhoea infection caused by ingestion of
unwholesome food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Salako said that the disease remained a global threat to
public health, affecting both children and adults and could lead to death if
untreated promptly.
He further identified it as an extremely virulent disease
that takes 12 hours and five days for its symptoms to manifest.
“The common early symptoms are frequent watery stool that is
usually milky white in colour, nausea and vomiting. Cholera outbreak is a
seasonal public health event in Nigeria, occurring annually mostly during the
rainy season and often in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene practices.
“Extreme climate events like flooding are also contributing
in multiple ways to drive the outbreak of the disease. The World Health
Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the global resurgence of cases of cholera
classifying the current outbreak as a “grade three public health emergency”,
requiring maximal WHO system-wide response.
“Nigeria is one of the 14 countries in Africa where the
resurgence is being experienced,” he said.