The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said Nigeria recorded a total of 3,623 suspected cholera cases and 103 deaths across 187 local government areas (LGAs) in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The director general of the agency, Dr Jide Idris disclosed this yesterday at a press conference held in Abuja.
He said the number of deaths translates to a cumulative case fatality rate of 2.8 per cent since the beginning of the year.
He noted that that there was a decline in the number of cases in the previous week.
“There was a 5.6 per cent decline in the number of cases in this reporting week (8th -14th July) as compared to the preceding week. We also recorded a drop in the case fatality rate from 2.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent,” he said.
The director general further said previous outbreaks revealed that the peak of the outbreak typically aligns with the peak of the rainy season, which is still several weeks away.
He noted that some northern states, typically designated as hotspot areas, have reported fewer cases, potentially attributed to the delayed outset of the rainy season in that region.
He further said the country is not only battling a cholera outbreak but also seeing a rise in other dangerous diseases like yellow fever, Lassa fever, and meningitis.
Speaking on yellow fever, he said there have been three cases recorded.
“Currently, there are three presumptive positive cases which are reported from Ekiti (2) and Bayelsa (1) and one death,” Mr Idris said.
Idris said rainfall has a significant impact on the spread of waterborne diseases, affecting both water quality and availability, adding that it can wash pathogens from soil, animal waste, and sewage into rivers, lakes, and other water bodies, contaminating them.
He explained that intense rainfall can overwhelm sewage systems, causing untreated or partially treated sewage to overflow into water supplies, further increasing the risk of contamination.
