Cholera Outbreak: Scores Hospitalised in Jos over Fresh Outbreak

Scores of people have been admitted into some hospitals in Jos, the Plateau State capital, following an outbreak of cholera in parts of Jos North Local Government Area of the state.

As at the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon, no less than 50 people had been reportedly admitted in the past week, with some already treated and discharged while many are still on admission in the hospitals.

A public health consultant and Chief Medical Director of Murna Clinic, Dr. Samuel, who said about 40 of the cases that had been admitted for treatment in the last week were diarrhoea cases some of which were diagnosed to have cholera, however said many of them had been successfully treated and discharged, while others are still being treated.

Responding to the question on causes of the conditions, Dr Samuel explained, “The causative organism is vibrio cholerae, and it is contracted from contaminated water, food, and fruits such as oranges. An unwashed contaminated mango is a common source of the condition, and it is particularly likely in unclean environments.

“People are advised to watch the water they buy from water vendors who ply the streets pushing their jerry cans of water fetched from untreated water sources.”

When contacted, the state branch of Nigerian Red Cross Society said there had been cases of diarrhoea and vomiting, but could not specify which among the cases was cholera. Secretary of the Red Cross, Manasseh Panpe told newsmen, however, that the Red Cross had embarked on free distribution of water guard to communities in Jos North and Jos South “because the Red Cross has discovered that there was contamination of water in many parts of the Jos metropolis and might likely be connected to the spread of the disease.”