“Cholera Strikes Kirikiri Prison as Katsina Records 118 Suspected Cases”

On Sunday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, revealed that 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis, confirmed to be cholera, were reported at Kirikiri Medium Security Prison.

This development contradicts the Nigerian Correctional Service’s claim from Wednesday, June 26, 2024, that custodial centres nationwide were free of cholera.

NCoS spokesman, Abubakar Umar, told The PUNCH that routine hygienic measures implemented in correctional centres had effectively kept cholera at bay.

However, in a statement on Sunday, the commissioner reported that “a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by cholera.”. The statement was signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

He announced that they had successfully implemented urgent medical and environmental measures.

At the same time, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 118 suspected cholera cases in Katsina State.

According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 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, resulting in a case fatality rate of 3.5 percent since the start of the year.

Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa, and Lagos were the states most affected.

To combat the spread, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of a multi-sectoral cabinet committee on epidemic control, led by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate.

Discussing the Lagos outbreak, Abayomi reported over the weekend that no new cholera-related deaths had been recorded in the last 72 hours. The government intensified its countermeasures to eliminate transmission.

He confirmed that while there was ongoing low-grade community transmission, the number of new daily cases and deaths had decreased.

Additionally, he noted that the interventions were proving effective as residents adhered to public health information, followed safety measures, and sought early medical attention when symptoms developed.

On the Kirikiri incident, Abayomi stated, “We supplied Kirikiri medium prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention, and other health consumables.

“Additionally, the World Health Organisation 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.”

Abayomi stated that investigators traced the original outbreak from two weeks ago to unregulated street beverages and a contaminated water supply.

Read also: Lagos, WHO partner to battle cholera outbreak at Kirikiri prison

“All the containers had no NAFDAC accreditation numbers, indicating they are small cottage backyard informal production units.

“Identifying the precise location of manufacture has proven difficult and the directorate of environmental health is planning to seal any such unregulated manufacture and make arrests of anybody involved with the manufacture or distribution of beverages without NAFDAC numbers,” Abayomi mentioned.

The commissioner reassured the public that there was no need to panic, expressing optimism that with ongoing collaboration, vigilance, and commitment from all stakeholders, the state is taking decisive action to combat and control cholera.

Meanwhile, in Katsina, Dr. Kabir Suleiman, the Director of Epidemiology at Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, reported that the 118 suspected cases all tested negative.

Source: The PUNCH