Cholera claimed 350 lives in Nigeria between January and September, according to data from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) released on Monday.
During the same period in 2023, there were 106 deaths from the disease, an increase of 239% over the same period.
The report said Lagos state, Nigeria’s most populous city and financial hub, recorded the highest number of infections.
The number of suspected cholera cases has also increased compared to the previous year, from 3,387 to 10,837 in the first nine months.
Most of those affected were children under the age of five.
Nigeria is particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of cholera, a waterborne disease, due to the lack of potable water in rural areas and urban slums.
Lost home and relatives missing in Nigeria floodsTo view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video.
Cholera epidemic hits Borno state
According to Reuters, Nigerian authorities reported last week that a cholera outbreak was affecting Borno state. Approximately 17 people were confirmed to be infected, but no deaths were reported.
The city of Borno has been dealing with floods since September that have displaced nearly 2 million people and damaged health infrastructure.
Additionally, Borno’s sanitation and water sources have been severely damaged since the Boko Haram insurgency began 15 years ago.
“We have recorded an increase in the number of cases of acute watery diarrhea suspected to be cholera, which is not unrelated to the flood disaster,” Borno State Health Commissioner Baba Malam Gana said on Friday.
Gana said Nigeria’s Ministry of Health had provided Borno State with 300,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to deal with the situation, and the state was expecting another 600,000 doses.
Vaccines were distributed to evacuation camps and flood-affected communities.
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What is cholera?
Cholera is an intestinal infection that is spread through contaminated food and water. Symptoms include severe diarrhea, vomiting, muscle spasms, and in some cases, death. However, if treated promptly, less than 1% will die.
It mainly affects poor countries that lack proper plumbing and water sanitation.
In 2021, a cholera outbreak killed more than 2,300 people in Nigeria, especially children under the age of 14, according to health officials.
Editor: Alex Berry
