Published Date: 2011-06-02 16:45:39
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Cholera - Nigeria (07): (Abia) susp.
Archive Number: 20110602.222848
CHOLERA - NIGERIA (07): (ABIA) SUSPECTED
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Thu 2 Jun 2011
Source: All Africa.com, Daily Champion report [edited]
http://allafrica.com/stories/201106020727.html
Nigeria: Community Deserted, As 30 Die From Cholera
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Ezeukwu community in Bende LGA of Abia state has been virtually deserted as residents flee in droves to nearby communities and close relations in the cities following cholera outbreak that hit the area last Mon 30 May 2011.
Daily Champion authoritatively reports that death toll has risen to 30 since the epidemic broke out, claiming 2 casualties in one family in some instances. Some of the victims evacuated from the community had been hospitalized at Amachara General Hospital in Umuahia South LGA where doctors are now battling to save their lives as most of the heath Centres in the area are already congested, thus raising panic that more casualties might be recorded as a matter of hours if no tangible control measures were undertaken by government urgently.
Reports say the remote and un-motorable community has poor waste disposal facilities as experts attribute the cause of the epidemic to consumption of polluted water, saying that rain waters must have polluted the "Ezeukwu stream," the community's only source of drinking water with both human wastes and animal dung.
Speaking with our correspondent yesterday in Umuahia, the State's former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Okechukwu Ogar, said that more than 30 persons "with serious cases of vomiting" had been evacuated from the community to nearby hospitals. He said that samples of the case had been collected from the affected persons for analysis in the laboratory to establish whether or not it was cholera as the victims had "more or less shown symptoms of acute diarrhea."
Dr. Ogar further said that all Directors as well as health workers in the Ministry of Health had been drafted to the community to assist the affected persons in the area, assuring that other measures including provision of potable water were being considered by government to prevent escalation of the case.
Meanwhile when Daily Champion visited the community some villagers in an interview attributed the cause of the epidemic to "an occultic burial" held recently in the community as about 10 persons who had attended the funeral suddenly started stooling and vomiting uncontrollably.
The Traditional Ruler of the community HRH Eze Hyacinth Ogwochukwu was said to be in Lagos where he resides while the Traditional Prime Minister was said to be in the hospital where he is attending to his wife also affected by the epidemic.
Our source said 10 persons had died between 3 a.m and 4 p.m on Monday [30 May 2011] alone, alleging that the outbreak might not be unconnected with the "evil funeral" while others said it was caused by contaminated stream which serves as the community's only source of water. But some argued that the same source of water had served the community for decades, insisting that the disease might not be unconnected with the alleged "occultic burial" as rumour mills also have it that goats which fed from leftover meals at the funeral all died.
At Alayi Health Centre a health worker who would not want name in print told our correspondent that all 14 patients brought at the centre on Sunday [29 May 2011] died later, and appealed to government to take urgent steps at controlling the epidemic before it escalates.
Some of the patients who look very weak and dehydrated appealed to both the Federal Government and the United Nations to come to their rescue as the entire community might be wiped out by the deadly disease should no urgent steps be taken.
[Byline: Steve Oko]
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Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>
[Further to our earlier report on this suspect outbreak of cholera in Abia state (see ProMED EAFR report no. 20110601.222697, this report indicates that the number of suspect cholera fatalities have doubled. The authorities are yet to mount a comprehensive response hence it appears there is a communication gap with glaring knowledge gaps about the source of the outbreak as well as the preventive measures.
An appropriate communication strategy therefore needs to be developed and tailored to the current information needs. As it appears the current outbreak may have originated from a contaminated water source and was amplified at funerals. Transmission at community level therefore needs to be checked through provision of portable water, educating communities to avoid mass gatherings, and promoting hygiene, sanitation and food hygiene.
A map showing the states in Nigeria can be seen at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Nigeria and the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the country can be seen at
http://healthmap.org/r/0VFk. - Mod.JFW]
See Also
Cholera - Nigeria (06): (Abia) susp. 20110601.222697Cholera - Somalia (02): Mogadishu 20110531.222482
Cholera - Cameroon (02): nationwide update 20110529.222455
Cholera - Mozambique: (Maputo) 20110503.221703
Cholera - Cameroon: nationwide update 20110502.221659
Cholera - Zimbabwe (06): (Manicaland) 20110502.221658
Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery (02) - Somalia 20110428.221508
Cholera - Congo DR (02): (Orientale) 20110413.220970
Cholera - Zimbabwe (05): (Masvingo, Manicaland) 20110413.220969
Cholera - Nigeria (05): (Taraba) susp. 20110408.220718
Cholera - Nigeria (04): spread 20110224.218793
Cholera - Nigeria (03): (Kogi) 20110211.218069
Cholera - Nigeria (02): (Kano) 20110207.217844
Cholera - Nigeria: (Niger state) 20110116.217207
2010
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Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (53): Africa 20101115.215181
Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (52): Africa 20101107.214912
Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (51): Africa 20101028.214604
Cholera, diarrhea and dysentery update 2010 (50): Africa 20101023.214414
Additional background information on cholera is available from the
general ProMED-mail list. The postings below can be found at
http://www.promedmail.org. - Mod.JFW
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (09): Africa 20110419.1219
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (06): Americas, Asia 20110404.1040
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (05): Africa 20110403.1033
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (04) 20110222.0582
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (03) 20110128.0333
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (02) 20110118.0215
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 20110109.0101
2010
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Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (30) 20101231.4608
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (27) 20101109.4060
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (13): Africa 20100807.2695
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (05): Asia, Africa 20100219.0573
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (04): Africa 20100216.0550
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2010 (02): Africa 20100208.0428
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