A cholera outbreak had claimed the lives of seven people, with six others still receiving treatment at a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Garko Ward of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, in a statement yesterday, said the outbreak was confirmed by the ministry’s Rapid Response Team, which established a treatment centre at Bogo Model PHC.
According to him, the deployment of the team followed a surveillance report of suspected cases of cholera and death of a two-year-old child in Kalajanga village of Akko.
He said within the last seven days, 32 cases were treated and discharged from the health centre with six others currently on admission.
According to him, the cholera outbreak was attributed to drinking of contaminated water by the victims.
“The onset of rainy season at times heralds the period of cholera outbreaks from drinking contaminated water. Therefore, it is easily spread in the community if control measures are sub-optimal,” he said.
Dr Dahiru added that he has activated a multi-sectoral Incident Management System for a prompt and coordinated response to the outbreak, with adequate resources for the management of cases and treatment.
The commissioner called on residents of the state to ensure use of clean water, consumption of hygienically prepared meals, observing personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
