By: Amos Dauda, Maiduguri
Aftermath of the devastating flooding that recently ravaged communities in Maiduguri and environs, the Borno State Government has announced the outbreak of Cholera.
The declaration was made on Friday by the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof Baba Mallam Gana during a press briefing in his office in Maiduguri.
The Commissioner stated that although no death has been recorded, as of the time of the press briefing, out of the two hundred samples sent for testing, seventeen returned positive.
Baba Mallam Gana attributed the outbreak to the recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the State with Jere, Mafa, Konduga, Dikwa and MMC LGA making up the seventeen confirmed cholera cases.
The Commissioner added that, “The State Government has, therefore, declared immediate response to control the outbreak as partners and humanitarian agencies like the WHO, MSF have put in place facilities to handle the suspected cases.”
Cholera is an extremely serious disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration in the victim which can lead to death.
Cholera is caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and it spreads also through contaminated food or water and affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated.
