Delta State has recorded seven deaths from 150 reported cases of an outbreak of deadly Cholera epidemic in three local government areas of Warri South West, Oshimili South and Bomadi of the state, according to a state report.
Advocate.ng report that the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Onojaeme, Tuesday, said the State Government has been able to curtail the ravaging cholera disease in the state.
Onojaeme disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Asaba, on efforts of the state government in managing the outbreak of the disease, said Cholera was a disease of the national outbreak and so far three outbreaks had occurred in the country this year.
The Health Commissioner, however, said the state has recorded a total of 138 cases of Cholera with seven deaths since the epidemic broke across the country in February this year, adding that the majority of the cases were young children.
Flanked by the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, Dr Onojaeme, said the seven casualties were recorded during the first epidemic. He added that no casualty has been recorded in the second and third epidemics.
He said: "The signs and symptoms are passage of watery low stool, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance among others.
"The State has recorded 138 cases in Warri South-West which is the local government it started and in the second and third outbreak we had seven cases in Bomadi and one in Oshimili South.
"We have been able to curtail the disease in Delta State and the disease surveillance and notification officers across the state have been able to carry out a lot of advocacies to our people to educate them about the cause of the disease.
"Cholera is mainly a disease of poor sanitary environment and we have educated them about simple hand washing and not taking unclean water. We have also provided tablets to purify some of these unclean waters.
"So far so good, since about six weeks now in Warri South-West where it started from, we had only 20 suspected cases and the majority of the cases we noticed we have treated and it's basically under control.
"We are doing a lot of advocacies and the risk factors are basically poor sanitary condition and reduced stomach acid.
Cholera has an incubation period of 12 days and within this period somebody not showing these symptoms can spread it through faeces and urine to other persons.
"Staying with somebody with the bacteria is a big risk factor to contact the bacteria from that person so maintaining hygiene is very key to eliminating Cholera from our environment and it is common among villages along the water bank.
"In Delta State, we have eight local governments that are of high risk viz; Warri South, Warri South-West, Warri North, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Patani, Bomadi and Burutu.
"So far, the Ministry has curtailed the disease within the high-risk local government areas and the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry is doing a lot of surveillance on these patients and it's fully under control."
