5 cases confirmed as cholera hits Ekiti

The Ekiti state government has raised an alarm to keep residents on red alert after five suspected cases of cholera surfaced in the Moba Local Government Area of the state.

The cases were detected by community informants who reported the same to local government health authorities.

Dr. Oyebanji Filani, the state Commissioner for Health and Human Services on Friday noted the possibility of an outbreak of the disease in some other local government council areas in the state.

The commissioner in a statement said, “given the risk of this outbreak escalating rapidly across the state, the Ministry of Health has commenced active case finding across all LGAs.

“State surveillance teams have been deployed to support the outbreak response at the LGA level. These teams are actively searching for and investigating suspected cases in health facilities, informal treatment centers, and within communities.”

He explained that the ministry has also intensified action to ensure a coordinated and effective response to a possible outbreak, through the provision of medical and laboratory supplies for case detection and management, rapid scale-up of risk communications, and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities.

He advised residents to be on guard, visit the nearest health facilities at the slightest symptoms, and report suspected cases to appropriate authorities.

“Considering the link between cholera, water sanitation and hygiene, a multi-sectoral team comprising of the state Ministries of Environment and Public Utilities has been set up with a meeting held among the ministries and commissioners on the 23rd of September 2021.

“This multi-sectoral team will support LGAs to ensure a coordinated and effective response to the possible outbreak. It is very important to visit a health facility if symptoms of cholera such as watery diarrhea and vomiting are observed.

“Cholera is a preventable and treatable epidemic-prone disease that is transmitted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The number of cholera cases tends to increase during the rainy season and the risk of death from cholera is very high when treatment is delayed”, he added.

Fulani, however counseled members of the public to be aware of the risk of the disease and adhere to prescribed preventive measures.