Lagos Confirms 2 Deaths In Cholera Outbreak
Lagos State Government on Tuesday confirmed outbreak of cholera in some parts of the state, saying two people have been killed by the disease.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos, the state’s Commissioner of Health Dr. Jide Idris flanked by his Information and Strategy counterpart Mr. Steve Ayorinde blamed the outbreak on the heavy rainfall being experienced in the state.
Idris said, “In the aftermath flooding of some areas in the state, the Ministry has been receiving notifications on upsurge of acute diarrhoea diseases in some Local Government Areas. Specifically the upsurge has been reported in Somolu LGA (on 19th July 2017), Oshodi-Isolo LGA (on 20thJuly 2017) and Surulere LGA (on 21st July 2017).
“Twenty Seven (27) cases have been line-listed by the Epidemiolgy/Disease Surveillance Officers in the State as at today, 25th July, 2017.Regrettably, two (2) deaths were recorded from the 27 cases.
“Somolu LGA: Six (6) cases were recorded in Somolu LGA, one of which died. Four were managed at Somolu GH, one was managed at a private hospital, another one was managed at Mainland Hospital, while one died at home. Only two of the cases are still on admission.
“Oshodi-Isolo LGA: Two (2) cases were recorded in Oshodi-Isolo LGA. One was managed at a private hospital and he is alive, while one died at home. Surulere LGA: Fourteen (14) cases were reported at Surulere LGA and managed at Randle General Hospital. No death was recorded.
“Two(2) cases were managed at Mainland Hospital, both are alive. Three (3) cases were managed at Gbagada GH and all are alive. The cases managed at the two hospitals are currently being investigated.”
The commissioner pointed out that,” The main suspected source of infection is the contamination of water sources with faecal matter from faulty septic tanks and soak-away following the heavy rainfall. Samples of well water were collected and sent to the Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory. We are still expecting the results of the analysis.
“It has become necessary to remind the general public once again that acute diarrhoea disease with or without vomiting is caused by a bacteria disease transmitted through ingestion of food or water contaminated with infective faeces. Food or water contamination is usually due to poor sanitation and the source of contamination is usually other cholera cases when they are infective watery stool gets into food or drinking water supplies. Prevention can be achieved through basic water sanitation.”
Idris added that provision of safe water and sanitation is critical in reducing the impact of cholera and other water-borne diseases, saying about 75 percent of people infected with V. cholera do not develop any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their faeces for 7–14 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.
“Among people who develop symptoms, 80 percent have mild or moderate symptoms, while around 20 percent develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration. This can lead to death if untreated. The case fatality of Cholera ranges from less than one percent in treated cases to as high as 50 percent in severe cases,” he said.