At least seven people have been killed following a Cholera outbreak in New Artisan Livestock Market, Enugu.
Also, 19 sick persons were identified with the symptoms of loose stool and vomiting in the market.
This was confirmed in a statement on Friday by the State Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi.
He said the Ministry’s rapid response team, upon receiving reports of the incident carried out an immediate investigation, and “it was observed that the patients presented with sudden onset of the passage of loose stool and vomiting.”
He added that, “the ill persons identified within the area were immediately and safely evacuated to the state teaching hospital and are receiving treatment, while health education on safe and hygienic practices was given to the inhabitants of the market.”
According to the Health Commissioner, “further tests carried out by the State Ministry of Health at the Teaching Hospital revealed that all the persons were suffering from Cholera.”
He added that samples were collected for further confirmatory tests of this finding.
However, surveillance, contact tracing, and risk assessment have commenced at the market and its environs, while the Enugu State Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Centre for Cholera outbreak response will be activated on Saturday 17th July 2021.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that is a potentially life-threatening and primarily waterborne disease.
In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.
