The Lagos State Government has announced a significant improvement in daily Cholera cases from the spike reported two weeks ago, but acknowledges evidence of ongoing low-grade community transmission, because few cases are still presenting to our hospitals.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, disclosed this today while providing an update on the cholera outbreak following the “One Health” Inter-governmental agency strategic meeting held over the weekend. He revealed that although no new cholera-related deaths have been reported in the last 72 hours, the government was intensifying countermeasures to completely eliminate transmission.
Professor Abayomi noted that the reduction in new daily cases and the absence of new deaths indicate interventions are bearing dividends but more importantly that residents are adhering to public health information and advice on safety measures and the need for early presentation to health facilities when symptoms develop.
However, he reported that a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis occurred at Kirikiri Medium security prison confirmed to be caused by Cholera, adding that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures have been implemented with success.
“We were able to supply Kirikiri medium prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention and other health consumables. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) 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 is ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the State ” the Commissioner said.
Addressing the source of the original outbreak two weeks ago, Prof. Abayomi disclosed that it has been traced to unregulated street beverages and contaminated water supply. He explained that many of the samples taken from popular street beverages purchased by undercover environmental officers from the 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.
He noted that the state government through its interagency “One Health” approach is enforcing environmental health countermeasures in collaboration with Lagos water corporation and sanitation agencies (LAWMA and LASWAMO) to ensure; widespread sanitation activities, inspection and disinfection of boreholes, supplying of potable water to affected local governments, and enforcement and stricter regulations on local beverage manufacturers.
“Henceforth and as approved by Mr Governor, a higher sanitary and regulatory standard of eateries, food handlers, beverage manufacturers and groundwater will be implemented and enforced to curb the burden of food and water borne diseases in Lagos.” he added.
