Cholera outbreak kills 12 in Ogun

a cholera outbreak has claimed the lives of a minimum of 12 individuals within the past month in Ogun State.

The State Government issued an alert regarding the cholera outbreak, known locally as ‘Aarun òní gbá méjì,’ in the Ijebu North Local Government Area of the State on September 17. Subsequently, the epidemic spread to the Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South Local Government Areas in the state capital.

Dr. Tomi Coker, the Commissioner for Health, has now confirmed 12 fatalities among the approximately 246 recorded cases. This announcement came during an update on the cholera outbreak following a stakeholder engagement held at the ministry in Abeokuta.

Coker, a UK-trained Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, explained that the cholera outbreak is being fuelled by “high level of open defecation, poor waste management and poor water source.”

She said “Unfortunately, we have a report of 246 cases and there has been at least about 12 deaths, which brings us to fatality rate of 44.6 percent.

“This is slightly high for a state like ours because we are educated. And from what we found out that’s actually promoting the cholera outbreak is the fact that there’s high level of open defecation in Ogun State.

“It started in Ijebu North Local Government where we have 217 cases, but now we have more reports. We have some from Abeokuta North last week. We have two reports from Abeokuta South.”

To curtail the outbreak, Coker said the government has begun chlorinating wells in Ijebu North, the LG worst hit by the disease.

She said her Ministry, Health, is also collaborating with the Ministry of Environment and other relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to contain the spread of the disease.

“It is unfortunate that our people still engage in open defecation, unaware that fecal materials enter shallow wells, which many of them use as water sources. For instance, in Ijebu-North Local Government, we found 52 shallow wells and microbiological testing revealed that 75 percent of these wells had evidence of fecal contamination with coliform bacteria.

“We will work with our colleagues in the Environment Ministry to ensure sanitation, promote the use of appropriate sanitary facilities in homes, and construct sanitary wells. These wells should be well-built and less likely to be contaminated by fecal material, especially during the period of incessant rainfall and flooding, which washes fecal material into our water sources”, she explained.

Coker advised residents of the State to avoid open defecation, construct affordable toilets and sanitary wells in their homes, and warning that the government may seal houses without toilets in the interest of public health.