The State Government had, on September 17, alerted residents of the outbreak of Cholera, locally referred to as ‘Aarun òní gbá méjì’, in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the State.
Our correspondent reports that the epidemic later spread to Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state capital.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, has now confirmed 12 fatalities out of about 246 cases recorded so far.
The Commissioner disclosed this while giving an update on the cholera outbreak shortly after a stakeholders’ engagement held at 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.
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“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.
