Published Date: 2011-06-25 15:47:00
Subject: PRO/EAFR> Cholera - Nigeria (09): (Niger), confirmed
Archive Number: 20110625.224562
CHOLERA - NIGERIA (09): (NIGER), CONFIRMED
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sat 25 Jun 2011
Source: The Guardian (Nigeria) [edited]
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52429:13-feared-killed-in-nigers-cholera-outbreak&catid=1:national&Itemid=559
13 Feared Killed In Niger's Cholera Outbreak
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About 13 persons have been reported dead following the outbreak of cholera in Niger State, Dr. Usman Mohammed, the state Director of Primary Health Services disclosed yesterday [24 June 2011] in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.
He explained that out of the 32 samples of the 457 cases reported to the Health Ministry, 18 of them were confirmed to have contacted cholera. "The state had recorded 13 deaths from the confirmed cases of cholera, following the outbreak of the disease from 1 Jun 2011 to date. All the cases of cholera recorded in the state are confined to Minna, the state capital, although we have reported cases of diarrhea in Paikoro and Bosso local government areas," he said.
He attributed the outbreak of the disease to the use of contaminated water for domestic purposes by the victims, adding, "We ask the public to boil their water before drinking." Mohammed urged the public to always wash their hands after eating or after visiting the toilets or bathroom to guard against bacterial infection.
He said the state government had provided free medication for people suffering from the disease at the Minna General Hospital and other public health institutions. He said that public sensitisation about the disease had been intensified through the mass media and the use of public vans, to broadcast the measures to take to avoid contacting the disease.
Mohammed said the Ministry of Health was collaborating with Doctors Without Borders, an NGO [non-governmental organization], to provide medical services to the people affected by the disease. He called on the people suffering from the disease to report to the medical facility nearest to them for treatment and avoid self-medication.
Meanwhile, about 5 million children under the age of 5 years die of diarrhoea annually in Nigeria, a pediatrician, Prof. Abiodun Johnson has said. Johnson disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday [23 Jun 2011] after delivering a lecture on "Death of the Child with Gastro-Hepatic Disorder" at the 4th Scientists Conference of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria, held at the University of Ibadan in Oyo State.
Johnson, a professor from the Texas Technology University of Health Sciences, School of Medicines, Amarillo, Texas, identified under-nutrition as the major cause of diarrhoea in children. According to him, children with this disease lose protein and carbohydrates from their body, a development which he said led to kwashiorkor (swollen stomach, hands and feet). He said that children with such health condition risked the chance of dying if proper treatment was not administered on them immediately.
The pediatrician maintained that there was the need for the government to provide potable water and electricity to reduce the deadly disease in Nigeria. Johnson said that constant power supply would ensure that foods were properly preserved in the refrigerator.
He advised mothers to ensure that they gave their children clean water and healthy food to prevent the diseases. "Children can also have diarrhoea when they are not given balanced diet," he noted.
[Byline: Matthew Onah]
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Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>
[Niger state in Nigeria has confirmed an outbreak of cholera that started on 1 Jun 2011. The authorities and partners have mobilised resources to control the outbreak.
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/0Yr_. - Mod.JFW]
See Also
Cholera - Cameroon (04): (North) 20110623.224466Cholera - Cote d'Ivoire (04): (Abidjan) 20110621.224295
Cholera - Niger: (Tillaberi) 20110620.224197
Cholera - Congo DR (03): (Budandu) 20110618.224043
Cholera - Ghana (12) 20110612.223505
Cholera - Cote d'Ivoire (03): (Abidjan) 20110612.223483
Cholera - Cameroon (03): nationwide update 20110611.223478
Cholera - Nigeria (08): (Adamawa) susp, RFI 20110610.223396
Cholera - Zimbabwe (07): (Manicaland) 20110609.223393
Cholera - Uganda: (Hoima) susp, RFI 20110607.223117
Cholera - Nigeria (07): (Abia) susp. 20110602.222848
Cholera - Nigeria (06): (Abia) susp. 20110601.222697
Cholera - 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 (17): Haiti, DR 20110624.1939
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (16): Asia, Africa 20110622.1910
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (15): Asia, Africa 20110617.1849
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (14): Haiti, DR 20110606.1726
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (13): Ukraine (DT) 20110603.1697
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011: (12): Haiti, DR 20110524.1579
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (11): Haiti, UN report 20110505.1392
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (10): Mexico (SI) alert 20110430.1334
Cholera, diarrhea& dysentery update 2011 (05): Africa 20110403.1033
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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