A total of 84 deaths have been recorded from cholera, while 2,860 people are suspected to have been infected with the disease from January to August 27, 2023, according to the data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The situation report for weeks 31 to 34, released on Wednesday, revealed that 25 states across 124 Local Government Areas reported the suspected cases, with a case-fatality ratio of 2.9 percent.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but it can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.
The cholera situation report showed that, of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age groups younger than five years are mostly affected, followed by age groups five to 14 years in aggregate, both males and females.
It also showed that of all suspected cases, 51 percent are males and 49 percent are females.
The states that have reported cases so far in the country are Zamfara, Cross River, Katsina, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Niger, Abia, Jigawa, Kano, Ondo, Borno, Kaduna, Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, and Gombe.
Others are Oyo, Adamawa, Kebbi, Benue, Rivers, Ekiti, Imo, Osun, and Anambra State.
“Zamfara (787 cases) accounts for 28 percent of all suspected cases in the country of the 25 States that have reported cases of cholera. Obubra LGA (515 cases) in Cross River State accounts for 18% of all suspected cases reported in the country.
“Of the affected States, Cross River (718 cases), Katsina (302 cases), Bayelsa (265 cases), Ebonyi (227 cases), Niger (136 cases), and Abia (118 cases) account for 62 percent of the suspected cases this year,” the report read in part.
Comparatively, it said suspected cases of cholera in the current year have decreased by 63 percent compared to what was reported at week 34 in 2022. Likewise, cumulative deaths recorded have decreased by 67 percent in 2023.