Cholera: Plateau declares war on open defecation

The Plateau State Government has declared war against open defecation to avert cholera outbreak.

While Plateau has not yet reported any cholera cases, the government remains vigilant due to the outbreaks in other parts of the country. The outbreak, which began over a month ago, has spread to 33 states.

During a press conference in Jos, Samuel Nathaniel Dapak, Director General of the Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA), said the state was aware of the cholera epidemic and was concerned it might spread to the state if preventive measures were not taken.

He said, “We have launched an extensive preventive campaign across the state. We have identified open defecation as one of the fastest ways the disease can break out and spread, and so we have declared war against open defecation in the state.

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“The agency knows the danger open defecation can cause to the entire population, and that is why we decided to stimulate awareness on public toilets and their usage. Our current focus is on ensuring the availability of public toilets even before promoting their availability in all households.”

Gyel community in Jos South LGA is the first to declare zero tolerance for open defecation, setting a precedent for other communities in the state.

Dapak highlighted the success in Gyel and planned to replicate such across the state.