Cholera: 417 suspected cases and 24 confirmed deaths in Lagos

The number of deaths linked to the cholera epidemic in Lagos State has increased from 21 to 24.

According to a situation report released by the Lagos State Government on Friday, as of June 19, 2024, a total of 24 people had died from the sickness.

Only 35 of the 417 suspected cases that have been reported have been confirmed thus far across the state’s 20 Local Government Council Areas, according to the study.

According to Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Advisor on Health to the Governor of Lagos State, as of Thursday, there had been 21 documented deaths as opposed to 15. 350 suspicious cases were also reported by her.

She said that the biggest numbers were observed in Eti Osa, Kosofe, and Lagos Island.

After meeting with representatives of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), Ogunyemi gave an update on the epidemic and blamed the increase in cases on the Ileya celebrations, which saw a lot of people together.

She did, however, point out that because of state government actions and surveillance initiatives, suspected cases were declining throughout LGAs, especially in LGAs that had previously been impacted.

According to the special adviser, the Lagos State Government was carrying out organized programs and actions to stop the spread as well as strict surveillance and monitoring of the situation through the Ministry of Health and other sister agencies.

In order to determine the source of pollution, the Ministry of Health continues to gather samples from food, drink, and water sources in cooperation with the State Ministry of Environment and its organization, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA). To tackle the issue head-on, we have also increased our community monitoring efforts, especially in the impacted local government districts.

Additionally, we are collaborating with the Ministries of Basic and Secondary Education and Tertiary Education to make sure that all necessary safety measures are implemented in our schools to safeguard students and staff upon their return. To stop the spread of cholera, residents must, however, exercise caution, wash their hands frequently, and take part in community sanitation projects, according to the Special Advisor.

She emphasized that all public health facilities offer free cholera treatment and recommended individuals to seek medical help right away if they develop symptoms like watery diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, general malaise, and fever.

The special adviser expressed the state government’s gratitude to local, national, and international partners—including UNICEF, WHO, NCDC, NIMR, Red Cross, and others—for their assistance in containing the outbreak, while also noting that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu remains committed to making sure that Lagos residents receive high-quality and reasonably priced health care.

“We also want to express our gratitude to the hardworking group of physicians, nurses, lab scientists, environmental health officers, Water Corporation officers, surveillance officers, heads of agencies, PHEOC members, and volunteers who are working nonstop to contain the outbreak and maintain safety in Lagos,” stated Ogunyemi.

According to the state’s Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, the Ogun State Government has also verified the disease’s breakout, which has resulted in the death of a 62-year-old woman and five hospitalized others.

Regretfully, the World Health Organization (WHO) also verified that a cholera outbreak had resulted in 1,932 cases and 194, 897 fatalities worldwide.

According to a statement from the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the health organization, the occurrences were noted between January 1st, 2024, and May 26th, 2024.

The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region recorded the highest number of cases, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the Region of South-East Asia, and the Region of Europe. The cases were reported from 24 nations spread across five WHO regions.

During this period, there were no outbreaks recorded in the Western Pacific Region.

“The global supply of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) was exhausted until early March, but for the first time in 2024, it surpassed the emergency 5-million dose target in early June. There are 6.2 million doses in the stockpile as of June 10, 2024. Nonetheless, supply of the vaccine is still not keeping up with demand. Almost twice as many OCV doses—92 million—had been sought by 16 nations since January 2023 as have been generated during this time, according to the statement.

The UN health agency said in March that its worldwide supply of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) had run out. For the first time since 2024, it was nevertheless able to surpass “the emergency target of five million doses in early June.”

According to WHO data, during January of last year, 16 nations have sought 92 million OCV doses, about twice as many as have been generated during that same period.

It declared that it was pooling resources to identify long-term cholera solutions with other partners, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and others.