12 die as a cholera outbreak strikes Ogun

At least 12 people have died from cholera in Ogun State in the past month.

Residents in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the State were informed of the cholera outbreak, popularly known as “Aarun n gbá méj,” by the State Government on September 17.

The pandemic eventually extended to the state capital’s Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South Local Government Areas (LGAs), according to our correspondent.

12 fatalities have now been confirmed by Dr. Tomi Coker, the commissioner for health, out of the 246 cases that have been reported thus far.

Immediately following a stakeholders’ engagement conducted at the ministry in Abeokuta, the Commissioner revealed this while providing an update on the cholera outbreak.

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Coker, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with training in the UK, stated that the cholera outbreak is being fueled by “high level of open defecation, poor waste management, and poor water source.”

We have a report of 246 instances, and there have reportedly been at least 12 deaths, bringing the fatality rate to 44.6%, the woman claimed.

“Because we have a high level of education, this is a bit high for a state like ours. The high rate of open defecation in Ogun State, according to what we discovered, is what’s actually fueling the cholera outbreak.

“It began in Ijebu North Local Government, where there are 217 instances, but more complaints have since come in. Some came from Abeokuta North the previous week. From Abeokuta South, we have two reports.

Coker claimed that in Ijebu North, the LG hardest impacted by the sickness, the government has started chlorinating wells in an effort to stop the epidemic.

She said that the Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of the Environment and other pertinent Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to stop the disease’s spread.

It is regrettable that so many of our people continue to utilise shallow wells as water sources and defecate in the open without realising that this pollutes the wells. For instance, we discovered 52 shallow wells in Ijebu-North Local Government, and microbiological testing showed that 75% of these wells had signs of faecal contamination with coliform bacteria.

In order to assure sanitation, we’ll collaborate with our colleagues in the Environment Ministry to build sanitary wells and encourage the use of the proper sanitary facilities in houses. Since faecal material is washed into our water sources during times of heavy rainfall and flooding, these wells should be well-built and less likely to get contaminated.

Coker warned state citizens about the dangers of open defecation and encouraged them to build accessible toilets and sanitary wells within their homes. He also warned that the government would lock up buildings without toilets to protect the public’s health.