Cholera Outbreak Hits Jigawa, Kills 30

 

A cholera outbreak in Jigawa has killed at least 30 people with more than 2,000 hospitalised in the past two months in the state.

Dr Salisu Mu’azu, Permanent Secretary, Jigawa State Ministry of Health, who confirmed the outbreak, said that most of the infected cases were children recorded in nine local government areas of the state.

Mu’azu listed Hadejia; Dutse, Kirikasamma, Birnin Kudu and Ringim as some of the areas worst hit by the outbreak.

He said that of the 2,000 infected cases, some had been discharged while others were still receiving free medical treatment in government hospitals.

The permanent secretary, who could not immediately say what was the cause of the outbreak, insisted that the Hadejia case could be linked to water pollution.

He alleged that there was possibility of water contamination from an area where people practiced open defecation near the water vendors who collect and circulate the water to residents of Hadejia town.

Mu’azu said the state government was on top of situation for now, and has been providing necessary assistance to the residents in the affected areas.

The permanent secretary said the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) had supplied some medications and promised to send more soonest.