Nigeria Centre for Disease Control Director-General Dr Ifedayo Adetifa has warned the country of cholera, which he claimed has caused more direct deaths than COVID-19 since the beginning of the year.
Dr Adetifa reported that there had been over 90,000 reported cases of cholera from 33 states this year, with over 3,800 dead. In comparison, NCDC showed through epidemiological data that last year’s COVID-19 pandemic recorded only 211,961 confirmed cases and killed 2,896 people.
“At the moment, I would like to draw attention to cholera,” said Dr Adetifa. “What people probably don’t realise is that there are 33 states in our country now that have cholera cases. At the moment, there are rapid response teams from the NCDC in about six to seven of those states.”
“… As a matter of fact, we have had more deaths from cholera now than from COVID-19, at least direct deaths.”
However, Dr Adetifa also assured the Nigerian people that the NCDC is working with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to provide state-level safe water and sanitation as well as intensifying efforts in case finding, management, and diagnostics.
“We have engaged the Nigerian Governors’ Forum who are also working hard with other partners to ensure water and sanitation,” he said. “This is really what we need to respond to cholera outbreak and prevent it from happening.”
