By Sola Ogundipe

A total of 23,550 suspected cases of cholera including 583 deaths with a Case Fatality Ratio of 2.5 per cent, have been reported from 270 Local Government Areas in 32 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, between 1st January 2022 and 27th of November 2022, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC.

Giving the details in its cholera situation update from the Monthly Epidemiological Report 10, for week 44 – 47 (31 October to 27 November, 2022), the Agency listed the affected states as Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Imo, and Jigawa.

Others are, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

According to the Cumulative Epi-Summary, of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group 5 -14 years was the most affected age group for males and females.

“Of all suspected cases, 49 per cent were males and 51 per cent females. Six states – Borno (12,459 cases), Yobe (1,888 cases), Katsina (1,632 cases), Gombe (1,407cases), Taraba (1,142 cases) and Kano (1,131 cases) account for 84 per cent of all cumulative cases.

Also, 15 LGAs across five states Borno (7), Yobe (4), Taraba (2), Gombe (1) and Zamfara (1), reported more than 200 cases each in 2022.

Further, the NCDC reported, “In the reporting month, six states – Borno (1124), Gombe (165), Bauchi (61), Katsina (16), Adamawa (14) and Kano (13) reported 1393 suspected cases in total.

With 1,393 cases, there was a 78 per cent decrease in the number of new suspected cases in November Epi week 44- 47, compared with October Epi week 40 – 43 with 6,306 cases.

In the reporting week, Borno (24) Gombe (14), Bauchi (13), Kano (5), Katsina (1) and Adamawa (1)reported 58 suspected cases.

Borno, Gombe, and Bauchi states account for 88 per cent of 58 suspected cases reported in week 47.
During the reporting week, two Cholera Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) were conducted in Gombe (100 per cent positive). Two stool culture tests were conducted from Gombe, (100 per cent positive) and Bauchi (0 per cent positive) in Epi week 47.

Of the cases reported, there were two deaths with a weekly case fatality ratio (CFR) of 3.4 per cent. No new state reported cases in week 47.

The Agency urged that the National multi-sectoral Cholera TWG continues to monitor response across the states.