No fewer than five persons have died and 60 others hospitalized, following the outbreak of severe gastroenteritis in communities around Eti Osa, Lagos Island, Ikorodu and Kosofe Local Government Areas of Lagos State.
Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi disclosed this while reacting to the state surveillance report.
Abayomi said the state government has issued a call for heightened vigilance and the adoption of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of a potential cholera outbreak.
The commissioner disclosed that five deaths have already been recorded mainly from patients presenting late with extreme dehydration.
“We have activated a statewide heightened surveillance and response. The Ministry of Health Directorate of Environmental Health and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, have been alerted to investigate a possible water contamination source in Lekki, Victoria Island axis. We suspect a possible cholera outbreak; however, samples have been taken for confirmation. As at April 28, Nigeria reported 815 suspected cholera cases and 14 deaths across 25 states,” he said.
Abayomi, who noted that following recent rains, the state government had seen a notable increase in cases of severe vomiting and watery stools, added that urban slums and crowded areas with poor sanitation are particularly at risk.
He explained that cholera is a highly contagious disease that causes severe diarrhoea and can be life-threatening, adding that it poses a significant health burden in areas with poor water treatment and sanitation, and could impact Lagos State.
“Cholera spreads through direct transmission by eating or drinking contaminated food or water and indirect transmission due to poor sanitation and lack of hand washing. Symptoms of cholera include severe watery diarrhoea, vomiting, rapid dehydration, muscle cramps, fever and sometimes collapse,” he added.
