A fresh cholera outbreak has claimed the lives of 20 people while 200 others have been infected in Adamawa State in the last five days.
The Adamawa State Health Commissioner, Zainab Baba Kwanci, told AFP on Wednesday that, “We have recorded a resurgence of cholera in four local government areas in the northern part of the state in the last week, which has claimed 20 lives with about 200 others infected by the disease.”
“The resurgence is pathetic and we are doing everything that is necessary to contain the situation, including the provision of drugs and vaccines as well as health personnel to the affected areas,” she added.
The latest deaths take to 169 the number of those killed by the disease in four northern states of Adamawa, Jigawa, Taraba and Borno in the past three months.
Cholera is a water-borne disease and can also be transmitted by food that has been in contact with sewage. It causes serious diarrhoea and vomiting leading to dehydration. With a short incubation period, it can be fatal if not treated on time.