The Katsina state government has confirmed the outbreak of cholera in some local government areas of the state. The state has recorded 118 suspected cholera cases so far, with two confirmed cases from Kusada LGA.
The Incidence Manager and Director of Epidemiology at the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Kabir Suleiman, stated that the state government has activated its Incidence Management System to manage the outbreak. The state is fully prepared to prevent the spread of cholera and other vaccine-preventable outbreaks.
The state government has embarked on building about 102 health facilities across the LGAs and is looking at other interventions such as improvement in WASH facilities, solarisation, and rehabilitation of boreholes in many Local Government Areas.
Additionally, 34 comprehensive Health Centers with Cholera treatment units and centers for admission of Cholera cases have been designated[5].
According to the Global Taskforce for Cholera Control, 10 of Katsina's LGAs are termed as high risk, with Funtua, Jibia, and Batsari LGAs topping the list.
The state government has commenced deployment of commodities to the 34 LGAs and has maintained a very sensitive surveillance system with regular reporting in those areas to manage the situation.
Dr. Suleiman emphasized that cholera is a very severe illness caused by bacteria and that Katsina is one of the most populous states in Nigeria with over nine million population cut across 34 LGAs and 361 wards, of which 21 LGAs are security-compromised.
The state has a normal routine surveillance system working 24 hours a day, seven days a week and throughout the year to detect cases of all priority diseases like cholera.
The state government, along with local government chairmen and supporting partners, managed a previous outbreak in week 12 around March, where they recorded about 68 cases with one death.
