The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has disclosed that 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis confirmed to be caused by Cholera were reported at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
This was made known on Sunday by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo.
He, however, stated that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures have been implemented with success.
He disclosed the update on the cholera outbreak following the “One Health” Inter-governmental agency strategic meeting held over the weekend.
Abayomi revealed that although, no new cholera-related deaths have been reported in the last 72 hours, the government was intensifying countermeasures to eliminate transmission.
The commissioner also confirmed evidence of ongoing low-grade community transmission, despite the reduction in new daily cases and deaths.
Abayomi noted that interventions are bearing dividends as residents are adhering to public health information and advice on safety measures and the need for early presentation to health facilities when symptoms develop.
“We were able to supply Kirikiri medium prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention and other health consumables.
” Additionally, the World Health Organisation has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals which have been delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies for about 3,200 inmates if required. Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the state,” the commissioner noted.
He disclosed that the state traced the source of the cholera outbreak to unregulated street beverages and contaminated water supply.
Abayomi explained that many of the samples taken from popular street beverages purchased by undercover environmental officers from the State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and the Ministry of Health in the affected areas confirmed the presence of vibrio cholera bacteria, which is the cause of Cholera.
“All of containers had no NAFDAC accreditation numbers, indicating they are small cottage backyard informal production units. Identifying the precise location of manufacture has proven difficult and the directorate of environmental health is planning to seal any such unregulated manufacture and make arrests of anybody involved with manufacture or distribution of beverages without NAFDAC numbers,” Abayomi said.
Lagos Records 25 Cholera Cases In Kirikiri Correctional Centre is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
