Lagos Records 21 Deaths Amid Cholera Outbreak
By Felix Kuyinu
The Lagos State Government, LASG, has informed that the number of dead persons due to the ongoing cholera outbrake has risen from 15 to 21.
LASG through the state’s Special Adviser on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed that diagnosed persons have increased from 350 to 410.
Ogunyemi also stressed that the negative upsurge of the numbers happened due to large crowding during the Eid-el Kabir celebration.
The Special Adviser said that places like Lagos Island, Kosofe, and Eti Osa have been profusely affected. On the flipside, she noted that the numbers are subsiding in other local government areas due to interventions made by the state government through surveillance efforts.
She told members of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), saying, “The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and its agency alongside Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), have continued to collect samples of water sources, food, and beverages to identify the source of contamination.
“We have also intensified our surveillance activities in communities, particularly in affected local government areas, to address the situation head-on.
“We are also working with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, as well as the Ministry of Tertiary Education to ensure all precautions are taken in our schools to protect children and scholars as they return.
“Residents must, however, remain vigilant, practice good hand hygiene, and participate in community sanitation activities to stop the spread of cholera,” she said.
Ogunyemi reiterated the state government’s admonition to citizens to seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as watery diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, general malaise and fever.
She added that due to the government’s commitment towards ensuring that residents in the state receive quality and affordable healthcare, treatment for cholera will be provided free of charge at all public health facilities.
The Special Adviser lauded local, national, and international partners—including UNICEF, WHO, NCDC, NIMR, Red Cross, and others—for their support in combating the outbreak.
She also commended health officials, environmental health officers, Water Corporation officers, surveillance officers, heads of agencies, members of PHEOC, and volunteers for tremendously working round the clock to combat the disease and keep Lagos safe.