Cholera kills 100 in Jigawa as outbreak hits 19 LGAs

Jigawa State Government says 100 people have died within one month of cholera as the outbreak has been recorded in 19 out of the 27 local government areas in the state.

Permanent Secretary at the state Ministry of Health, Salisu Mu’azu, stated this in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.

Mua’zu did not provide a breakdown of those affected in each of the LGAs.

The permanent secretary however said a team made up of some state health officials, personnel of the World Health Organisation and the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) — a non-governmental organisation — were working to tackle the outbreak.

He expressed concern that in spite of efforts by the ministry to improve service delivery in rural communities where the outbreak was most rampant, the casualty rate was still increasing.

The situation was said to have become very critical in the last few days, with eight people reported to have died in the Unguwar Kudu quarters, a small community at Zareku in the Miga Local Government Area.

According to a health official in the area, a total of 268 people were screened in two days; out of which 145 patients were hospitalised.