Health experts have raised the alarm about a possible spike in cases of cholera and other water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid and dysentery, largely due to increased access to unclean sources of food and water for consumption and other household use by Nigerians.
Recent inflation has resulted in a sharp rise in the cost of potable water packaged in sachet, pet and dispenser bottles, among others, which a large percentage of Nigerians rely on.
The high cost has pushed many to alternative sources of water for drinking and cooking. More households have also resorted to eating out in unhygienic places because it is more cost effective than home cooking.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in a statement, last week, confirmed that cholera has hit 30 states, adding that more cases were being reported in different parts of the country as the rainy season peaks.
It noted that between January 1, and June 11, 1,141 suspected and 65 confirmed cases with 30 deaths were reported from 96 LGAs in the affected 30 states, noting that 10 states that contributed 90 percent to the burden of cholera include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos states.
Chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), FCT chapter, Dr. Roland Aigbove, predicted the recent outbreak of cholera, adding that there might be increased hospitalization as a result of the development.
In 2022, there were 473,000 cholera cases reported globally, with numbers rising in 2023. Africa has the highest numbers, followed by other WHO regions.