By John Ikani
Nigeria is witnessing significant decrease in the number of reported cases of cholera in the country.
This was made known by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its weekly epidemiological report released on Tuesday, July 27.
According to the report, 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have reported suspected cholera cases in 2021 with over 500 deaths so far.
It listed the affected states as Kebbi, Cross River, Nasarawa, Niger, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau and the FCT.
The report which revealed that a total of 22,130 suspected cases have been reported from these 18 states and the FCT as of July 22, added that Bauchi, Kano and Plateau have the highest cases, making them account for 91 percent of the 3,519 cases reported in those weeks.
It also noted that out of the suspected cases, 51 percent are male, 49 percent are female, while 28 percent of all reported cases are between ages five and 14 years.
“There has been a decrease in the number of new cases in the last two weeks. Bauchi (2438), Kano (674), and Plateau (87) account for 91% of 3,519 cases,” the report said.
“No new state reported cases in epi week 28, total of 1,634 suspected cases were reported this week representing a 13.3% decrease compared to 1885 suspected cases recorded in week 27
“As at July 22, 2021, a total of 22,130 suspected cases including 526 deaths (CFR 2.4%) have been reported from 18 states and FCT,
“Of the reported cases since the beginning of the year, 28% are aged 5 – 14 years. Of all suspected cases, 51% are males and 49% are females,” it added.
The NCDC said the emergency operations centre will continue to coordinate national response to the epidemic.
