5,951 suspected cases of cholera and 176 deaths have been reported throughout 152 LGAs of 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), according to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
Director-general of NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, said the NCDC data reflected a steady rise in the number of cases being recorded across the country. “So far, the most affected age groups are less than 5 years,” he said.
According to Dr. Jide, the pattern of probable cholera cases was expected to fluctuate and continue until Epidemic Week 37. He stated that this prediction aligned with the trends shown in the country's cholera epidemics between 2020 and 2024.
The current rainfall forecasts suggested there might be an increase in the number of cases, he added.
He stressed that one of the main causes of the outbreak was the high rates of open defecation, which allows faeces to flow into water sources and contaminate them.
