Dealing with cholera outbreaks

The increasing reports of cholera outbreaks with attendant
loss of lives in some parts of the country call for urgent action
from the nation’s health authorities. Nigeria must move
swiftly to stop the spread of the disease. Within the past two
weeks, no fewer than 12 people were reported to have died of
cholera in Anambra State; 20 succumbed to the ailment in two
local government areas in Bayelsa State, while another 20
died in some communities in Andoni Local Government Area of
Rivers State.
According to the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr.
Sampson Parker, 170 patients are being treated while officials
of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Federal Ministry
of Health are assisting the victims in the affected
communities.
The reports of cholera casualties in the country are becoming
increasingly worrisome. Medical experts define cholera as a
highly infectious disease that causes severe diarrhea,
dehydration and death. It is an acute intestinal infection
caused by ingestion of food or water that has been
contaminated with the bacterium, vibrio cholerae. The disease
has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five
days. It causes very watery stools that can quickly lead to
severe dehydration and death if not promptly treated. Cholera
mostly occurs in communities with poor access to safe
drinking water and inadequate sewage treatment system.
It is more common in developing countries like Nigeria where
potable water is a luxury and haphazardly distributed. Since
its discovery in 1883 by a German bacteriologist, Robert Koch
(1843-1910), the disease has led to the death of so many
people in the developing countries. According to a 2010 report,
cholera has affected about 3-5 million people and kills
between 100,000 and 130,000 people yearly globally.
Available WHO statistics show that more than 70 percent of
cholera cases are recorded in Africa, Mexico and few parts of
Asia. In 2013, Nigeria recorded not less than 623 cases with
reported 86 deaths. Zamfara State, with 1,110 cases and five
deaths, had the highest incidence of the disease in the
country, while Oyo State, with 29 cases and six deaths, had
the lowest. The 2010 cholera epidemic is regarded as the
worst in Nigeria since 1991. It recorded about 6,400 cases in
12 of the 36 states of the federation with 352 deaths.
What these figures indicate is the need to move fast to
contain the current outbreak. As explained by medical experts,
cholera epidemics occur where there are significant breaches
in the water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure used by
groups of people, thus leading to large scale exposure to food
or water contaminated with vibrio cholerae. The disease can
also be contracted through the faecal-oral route via
contaminated food, carriers of the infection and inadequate
sanitary conditions of the environment. However, the principal
mode of transmission remains the ingestion of contaminated
water or food.
Since the disease thrives in places where water sources are
compromised, government at all levels must work in concert
to ensure that all Nigerians have access to potable water.
Good drinking water should not be a luxury. It is a necessity.
It is, therefore, unfortunate that most Nigerians in both urban
and rural areas still lack potable water.
Since outbreaks of the disease occur in Nigeria virtually every
year, there is the need for sustained public education on its
prevention . Nigerians should also ensure that they do
everything within their power to drink only potable water.
Seafood, especially those eaten raw and undercooked, as well
as fruits and raw vegetables are other veritable sources of the
cholera infection that the public should take note of. Fruits
and vegetables should be properly washed before
consumption. The outbreak of the disease also calls for
increased personal hygiene and public health consciousness.
Let Nigerians form the habit of washing their hands frequently,
especially after using the toilet. Indiscriminate disposal of
faeces should be checked by the relevant health authorities
while emphasis must be placed on the construction and
maintenance of sewage systems. The reintroduction of
sanitary inspectors should be considered as it will go a long
way in improving environmental sanitation and reducing
cholera epidemics in the country. Above all, the federal, state
and local governments should promote hygiene and increase
the supply of clean drinking water to all parts of the country.