Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, says the cholera death toll in the state has risen to 24.
Abayomi disclosed this in a post on his Instagram handle on Friday.
The health commissioner also confirmed 35 cases out of the 417 suspected cases across 20 Local Government Areas in the state.
He said the situation report as of June 19, 2024, indicated, “417 suspected cases, 35 confirmed cases, and 24 recorded deaths.”
Abayomi advised residents to ensure personal and environmental hygiene, saying, “Let’s adhere strictly to personal and environmental hygiene. Let’s stay safe #ForAGreaterLagos”
The cases were reported from Agege, Badagry, Ikeja, Mushin, Ajeromi-Ifelofun, Epe, Ikorodu, Ojo, Alimosho, and Eti-Osa.
Others were Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos Island, Shomolu, Apapa, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos mainland, and Surulere.
Cholera is a food and water-borne disease caused by ingesting the bacteria— Vibrio cholerae — in contaminated water and food. Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea, and the severe forms of the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more frequently in areas with poor sanitation.
The World Health Organisation on Thursday announced a spike in cholera in several regions of the world, with almost 195,000 cases and over 1,900 deaths reported in 24 countries since the start of 2024.
WHO said the Eastern Mediterranean Region reported the highest number of cases, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the Southeast Asia Region, and the European Region.
The global health body, however, noted that there are no reported cases in the Western Region, according to its bulletin released on Wednesday.
It said it exhausted its global stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines by March but was able to exceed “the emergency target of five million doses in early June for the first time in 2024.”
