The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, on Sunday disclosed that 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by cholera were reported at Kirikiri Medium Security Prison.
The development was against the claim by the Nigerian Correctional Service on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, that the custodial centers nationwide were free of cholera.
The NCoS spokesman, Abubakar Umar had earlier stated in an interview with The Punch that the routine hygienic measures put in place in the correctional centers had helped to keep cholera out.
However, in a statement on Sunday signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the commissioner reported “a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by cholera.”
He said urgent medical and environmental measures had been implemented successfully.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also recorded 118 suspected cholera cases in Katsina State.
Available data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed as of June 24, 2024, there were 1,528 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases and 53 deaths across 107 local government areas in 31 states, reflecting a case fatality rate of 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The most affected states were Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos.
To combat the spread, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of a multi-sectoral cabinet committee on the control of the epidemic, headed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.
READ ALSO: Minister Pate advocates multi-sector approach to prevent cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis outbreaks
Speaking on the Lagos outbreak, Abayomi, at the update on the cholera outbreak at the weekend, said no new cholera-related deaths had been reported in the last 72 hours, as the government kept intensifying countermeasures to eliminate transmission.
He confirmed ongoing low-grade community transmission, as the new daily cases and deaths reduced.
He, however, noted that interventions were bearing dividends as residents were adhering to public health information and advice on safety measures and the need for early presentation to health facilities when symptoms developed.
On the Kirikiri incident, Abayomi said: “We supplied Kirikiri medium prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention, and other health consumables.
“Additionally, the World Health Organization donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals already delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies for about 3,200 inmates if required.
“Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the state.”
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