Re: Nigeria: Cholera 2013
Humanitarian Bulletin
Nigeria
Issue 07 | November 2013
Cholera Outbreak in Nigeria
Deaths recorded in 12 States
Latest UN figures indicate that 2,771 cholera cases have been reported in Nigeria
this year resulting in 60 deaths; 613 of the cases were reported in October alone.
The total numer of cases this year indicates a five-fold increase in the number of
reported cholera cases in Nigeria- as compared to the same reporting period last
year. To date, 12 states have been affected, with the majority of cases occurring
in the North, with Zamfara (northwest) reported as the worst affected state.
Experts underline that Lagos state requires particular surveillance and that
preventative measures should be established in Sokoto and Katsina states.
Rural v. Urban Impact
The extent of the outbreak varies from one state to another, largely depending on
the number of health facilities available and the level of awareness vis-a-vis the
disease. According to officials from the Ministry of Health, the epidemic affects
rural and urban populations in different ways: preliminary data show that mortality
rates in rural northern states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina and Plateau are
five times higher than those in urban areas. The identification of new cases and
the referral of patients to health facilities in rural areas are essential to combating
the disease. Reports from UNICEF indicate that half of Nigeria's 160 million
people do not have access to safe water and one-third do not have access to
sanitation services.
Response to Date
The Plateau State Ministry of Health, Rural Water and Sanitation Agency
(RUWASA), WHO and UNICEF are providing immediate response. UNICEF
dispatched three drums of high test hypochlorite (HTH) to disinfect affected
hospitals and communities. An additional 235 cartons of water purification tablets
have been distributed at the household level. Interventions in the other five
affected states are carried out in conjunction with the State and Federal Ministries
of Health, the Centre for Disease Control, WHO, UNICEF and Nigeria?s Field
Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP).
Response to date is hampered by the current strike of resident physicians in state
and federal hospitals across the country, the non-release of accurate data of
cases and casualties, and flooding. At the community level, capacity to respond
to the cholera outbreak with emergency water treatment and sanitation is lacking.
This problem is even more critical in in those rural areas where the outbreak is
prevalent and where capacity and resources in primary health care centres is
limited.
The Regional Cholera Platform encourages the ?Sword & Shield? approach which
aims to both treat cases that arise in the short term (?the sword?) while
simultaneously addressing longer-term systemic issues that contribute to the
spread of the disease towards prevention in high risk areas for vulnerable
communities (?the shield?). This approach encourages the targeting of
transmission contexts, pro-activity and cross-border collaboration.
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http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefwe...ia Humanitarian Bulletin_ November 2013.pdf
