Dr Henry Ayuk, the Cross River Commissioner for Health, says the state has activated an emergency response team that will respond to any threat of cholera outbreak in the State.
The Commissioner, who made this known in an interview in Calabar on Thursday, said that although the state has not witnessed any cholera case since the current outbreak was reported, there was one recorded death associated with cholera around March 2024.
He added that “there was an outbreak of the disease in Obubura and Biase local government areas between February and April, with one death recorded during the outbreak.
“That was about the only time we had case of cholera outbreak in this state.”
On the current outbreak in some states, Ayuk said “we have already adopted the guidelines provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“As part of our preparedness, we have reactivated our public health emergency response team at the state and local government levels for prompt response.
“We are increasing surveillance in the state and also educating communities on the need to report any case of diarrhea.
“We particularly focused on the riverine areas where we have designated hot spots such as Etung, Abi, Obubura, Biase and part of Yakurr local government areas.”
There have been reported cases of cholera outbreak in 30 states of the federation, and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has urged state governments to prioritise access to and use of safe water, basic sanitation and proper hygiene practices in communities.
In a comprehensive advisory released to the public, healthcare workers and state governments, the centre reported a total of 1,141 suspected cases of cholera, with 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths across 96 local government areas in 30 states from Jan. 1 to June 11.
The NCDC highlighted that 10 states—Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos—account for 90 per cent of the cholera burden in the country.