Hello and welcome
Today in the Kura Bari Program we are discussing the cholera outbreak that has taken Nigeria by storm.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported that there were more than 30,000 cases of cholera and 800 deaths in the country between January and August this year. These included cases in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
More than 2,000 cholera cases and 90 deaths have been reported in 25 local government areas across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in the past two months.
Dr Lawi Mshelia, Borno State’s director of public health, said on Tuesday, September 21, that there are 1,407 confirmed cases and 90 deaths in 12 local government areas in the state. But many think the figures could be higher than those registered, especially in the hard-to-reach areas that have been the worst hit by violent conflicts with insurgents.
This is the first time in three years that a cholera outbreak has been declared in the northeast region. The outbreak has increased the pressure on the local population, already affected by violent conflict.
Our guests are:
- Dr Lawi Mshelia, Borno State’s director of public health;
- Mohammed Musa Aliyu, the general manager of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency; and
- Mohammed Kashim an epidemiologist at New GRA Clinic.
