By Segun Awofadeji
The number of lives lost to the recent cholera outbreak in Bauchi State has risen to 37.
The immediate-past Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, had on May 25, 2021, announced the outbreak in the state, with a 37-year-old housewife who reportedly had the disease at the Burra General Hospital on April 24, 2021.
Maigoro disclosed then that 20 people had died from the disease, while 322 people affected were being managed.
Meanwhile, the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHDA) has said the deadly disease has now spread to six more local government areas from the initial nine, making it 15 local government areas of the state.
In a data made available to journalists in Bauchi by the Executive Chairman of the agency, Dr. Rilwanu Mohammed, yesterday, BSPHDA disclosed that 1,799 cholera cases were recorded since May 25, 2021, when the outbreak was announced.
In a telephone interview with journalists, the Executive Chairman of the agency, Mohammed, said the state government in collaboration with some international donor agencies has embarked on the construction of a 100-bed capacity Cholera Treatment Centre (CTC) at the state Specialist Hospital to take care of the victims.
Mohammed also explained that the government has directed that the treatment of the victims should be done freely in order to augment the economic hardship facing the people, saying all the required drugs for the treatment have been made available.
He, however, appealed to the residents of the state to imbibe the culture of cleanliness by maintaining a clean environment always.
