A cholera outbreak in Jigawa State has claimed the lives of no fewer than 30 persons with more than 2,000 hospitalised in the past two months.
Dr Salisu Mu’azu, Permanent Secretary, Jigawa State Ministry of Heath, who confirmed the outbreak, said children were most affected in the cases recorded in nine local government areas of the state.
Mu’azu listed Hadejia; Dutse, Kirikasamma, Birnin Kudu and Ringim as some of the areas worst hit by the Cholera outbreak.
He said that of the 2,000 infected cases, some had been discharged while others were still receiving free medical treatment in government hospitals.
However, he could not immediately confirm the cause of the outbreak, but said the cases at Hadejia could be linked to water pollution.
He alleged that there was possibility of water contamination from an area where people practiced open defecation near the water vendors who collect and circulate the water to residents of Hadejia town.
Mu’azu said the state government was on top of situation for now, and has been providing necessary assistance to the residents in the affected areas.
The permanent secretary said the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) had supplied some medications with a promise to provide more.
