FG Flags Off Environment Response to Cholera Outbreak

Michael Olugbode

The federal government has flagged off a national campaign on environmental response to combat the ongoing cholera outbreak in the country.

Flagging off the campaign on National Environmental Sanitation Response to Cholera Outbreak in Nigeria at Kubwa in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, said the campaign was in response to growing and alarming rate of current cholera outbreak in the country, which the situation report from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) released on August 17, 2021 totalling 37,498 suspected cases, including 1,149 deaths in 24 states and the FCT. He mentioned the state affected as Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Borno, Kastina, Adamawa, Taraba and the FCT, with increasing number of new cases in, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano, Gombe, Plateau, and Niger States.

Abubakar said: “It is against this background that today’s event is being organised to flag off our response activities to the increasing rate of spread of Cholera cases across the country; sensitise the public on cholera preventive and control measures to avert further outbreaks as well as strengthen the collaboration with NCDC and other stakeholders in tackling the cholera scourge.

“With the commencement of the National Environmental Sanitation Response Intervention to Cholera Outbreak exercise in Kubwa, Abuja, which is currently the epicentre in the FCT, the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in the states and local government areas, has commenced the nationwide intervention response activities covering the following areas: ‘Sanitary inspection of premises/environmental health surveillance of hotspot communities; treatment of contaminated water sources/sites; strengthening capacity of EHOs in the state Ministries of Environment and the affected LGAs; sanitary inspection of food business premises of affected communities; advocacy, sensitisation and community town hall meetings on control of open defecation practices and its health impact’.

“Others include sanitary inspection of schools (primary and secondary) in affected communities; training of community volunteers on safe water handling, environmental sanitation and hygiene practices; as well as working with the state and local government authorities to ensure the enforcement of relevant environmental sanitation laws, standards, regulations and guidelines in all the communities.”