Muhammad Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, announced that the federal government has mobilized resources to tackle the spread of cholera in the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’ on Wednesday, Pate revealed that a technical working group was established through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to assist states in reducing disease transmission.
“We had anticipated the seasonal outbreak some months ago. The president approved contingency financing for the NCDC, and that is what has been used so far, in addition to technical financing,” he stated.
“The states also have a role to play in releasing their own funding. Thirty-one states are affected, 107 local governments are affected; about 1,500 cholera cases have been recorded so far in the country.”
The health minister assured Nigerians that the cholera outbreak would be contained. “We have to address open defecation so that faeces do not contaminate food and water,” he added.
Pate explained that the cholera outbreak is part of a global phenomenon and emphasized that cholera is a public health crisis caused by the contamination of food and water, poor sanitation, developmental challenges, and infrastructure deficits. “Open defecation prevalent in many parts of the country is fuelling the outbreak,” he noted.
Pate called for a multi-sectoral approach to prevent infectious diseases in the country, stressing that all stakeholders have preventive roles to play to “see less and less of this issue in years to come.” He also highlighted that other infectious diseases like typhoid fever and tuberculosis pose additional challenges.
“As we improve physical infrastructure, urbanization, and the utilities that support these developments, we should begin to see healthier populations,” Pate concluded.
