The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, announced on Wednesday that the organization might declare a state of emergency if the cholera cases surpass a manageable threshold.
Speaking at the Adetokunbo Alakija Memorial Travel Medicine Lecture in Lagos, organized by the Nigerian Society of Travel Medicine, Dr. Idris emphasized the importance of data in making this critical decision.
He said, “If they look at the data and they decide that the situation has gone beyond a particular threshold, then we call it an emergency situation.”
The NCDC is currently awaiting reports from a team conducting an investigation into the outbreak. Dr. Idris added, “So when they come, when they bring the data, if it has gone beyond a particular threshold, we declare an emergency.”
Nigeria is currently battling with a cholera outbreak affecting 30 states. The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) convened an emergency meeting in Lagos on Tuesday to address the crisis. WHO Country Representative Dr. Walter Mulombo confirmed this on his X handle.
Recent NCDC reports indicate that from January 1 to June 11, 2024, over 1,141 suspected cases and more than 65 confirmed cases of cholera have been documented. These cases have resulted in over 30 deaths across 96 local government areas (LGAs) in 30 states. The Lagos State Ministry of Health has also reported 350 suspected cases in 29 wards, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths due to severe dehydration.
During his address on ‘Collaborative Platforms and Networks, Strengthening Travel Medicine in Nigeria,’ Dr. Idris highlighted the rising incidence of cholera over the past few weeks, which has prompted an intensified investigation, particularly in Lagos State.
He stressed the importance of prevention and preparation in managing the outbreak, stating, “We must prepare; prevention means to create the facilities that you will need, the isolation centres, and look at the human resources you have.”
Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, pointed out that cholera is closely linked to environmental conditions. She noted that the Ministry of Health is collaborating with environmental agencies to tackle the issue, saying, “It’s all about the environment, it’s about water, it’s about what you eat, it’s about people defecating, and all that is flushed into the drainage system.”
Ogunyemi also emphasized the need for individual responsibility in maintaining personal hygiene. “We have programmes – the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene known as WASH. We are trying to get clean water into all areas, we are looking at pipes that are broken, and the things that are not working,” she added.