The permanent secretary of Jigawa State Ministry of Health, Dr Salisu Maazu said the cholera epidemic has claimed the lives of over 100 people and over 5,000 cases were recorded.
The permanent secretary made the disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen in Dutse the state capital.
He said, “Presently 250 patients were currently on admission in different hospitals in the state.”
According to him, “as of last Sunday, we have recorded over 100 deaths, 5,000 cases. Currently, over 251 are admitted at various health facilities as a result of the outbreak in 19 out of 27 local governments in the state.”
Dr Salisu Mu’azu attributed the outbreak to rampant use of contaminated water, vegetables in addition to poor personal hygiene.
He noted that “presently the disease has spread in 19 affected local government areas from nine some few weeks back.”
Dr Salisu stated that the state government with support from UNICEF and Lafiya programme formed a rapid response team dispersed across three zones in the state.
He said the state government has opened isolation units in Hadejia, Gwaram and other worse hit areas, and embarked on training surveillance, community awareness, the establishment of treatment centres and spraying the communities.
When Tribune Online visited some of the affected communities in the state like Zareku town area of Miga local government, it was discovered that between Friday night to Saturday eight people died as a result.
Confirming the incident, medical staff in Zareku primary healthcare centre (name withheld) explained that the incident started on Thursday night and persisted till Friday when five people died on the same day.
“We recorded the death of eight people, seven female and one male who died as a result of cholera diseases in this town of Zareku,” he said.
He maintained that from the commencement of the outbreak about 268 suspected cases was recorded while 145 cases were admitted into the healthcare centre.
The medical staff who seek more help to bounce the situation decries for shortages of protection equipment and medicines for the patients.
A relative to one of the deceased persons, Mr Hassan Galadima, narrated to newsmen how he lost two sisters to the incident within few hours.
Mr Galadima maintained that “I lost my 16-year-old younger sister Adama Galadima a day after I lost my elder brother’s wife who is 36 years old adding that as I’m speaking to you now the son of the deceased wife is also hospitalised.”
Also speaking to newsmen, the village head of Zareku town, Malam Abdulqadir Ibrahim, confirmed the incident adding that “I have never seen a similar disaster where five people died in the same time like this one throughout my life in this town.”
By Adamu Amadu,
Nigerian Tribune