The United Nations Children’s Fund has urged the Lagos State Government to urgently provide high-standard water and sanitation facilities to communities to curb the cholera outbreak in the state.
Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucrier made this call on Saturday following the current cholera outbreak in the state which has spread across multiple Local Government Areas with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.
To reduce fatality associated with the disease, UNICEF asked the state government to strengthen its healthcare systems and make them capable of responding to the demand in times of outbreaks.
The international organisation also urged the state government to lead educational campaigns on cholera prevention to protect children and the population at large.
Lafoucrier said the cholera outbreaks underscore the urgent need for improved access to clean water and sanitation in many areas.
The state Ministry of Health, on Saturday, confirmed 350 suspected cases of cholera in 29 wards across multiple LGAs in the state, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said Nigeria recorded 65 confirmed cases of cholera with 30 deaths from 1 January to 11 June across 96 local governments in 30 states.
Cholera is a highly contagious food and water-borne disease. It spreads through direct transmission by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, and indirect transmission due to poor sanitation and lack of handwashing.
Symptoms of cholera include acute, painless watery diarrhoea of sudden onset, with or without vomiting. It may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting, and fever.
Lafoucrier noted that despite the state government’s efforts to provide water to its population, the current outbreak demonstrates the need for an urgent government focus on ensuring the water provided to the population was clean and risk-free.
She said, “Addressing the challenges of cholera outbreaks requires a deliberate focus of state policies to provide high-standard water and sanitation facilities, as well as strengthened healthcare systems capable of responding to the demand in times of outbreaks, and state-led educational campaigns on cholera prevention to protect children and the population at large.
“To alleviate cholera outbreaks, a comprehensive approach is essential. Sustainable WASH infrastructure and strengthened health systems capable of anticipating epidemics as well as, effective community engagement strategies are crucial to halt transmission.”
According to her, preventing cholera ultimately centres on good sanitation and hygiene practices.
“This includes enhancing water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, implementing rapid surveillance, promoting social mobilisation, administering treatment, and utilizing oral cholera vaccines.
“Key actions include proper disposal of faeces, eliminating open defecation, and ensuring access to potable water. Regular handwashing with clean, running water and soap is vital.
“Additionally, avoiding the consumption of uncooked vegetables, unwashed fruits, raw or undercooked seafood, and food from street vendors is important to reduce the risk of cholera infection,” she said.
Lafoucrier affirmed that good water and sanitation infrastructure play a crucial role in reducing disease outbreaks, such as cholera, which causes an estimated 100,000 deaths annually.
She noted, “Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions are fundamental in preventing and responding to cholera epidemics. Safe water supplies, hygienic sanitation, and effective water management are key elements in this effort.
“Increasing access to safe drinking water, improving sanitation and hygiene, and better water management can prevent almost one-tenth of the global disease burden.
“Community access to sanitation, like simple latrines, prevents drinking water contamination from human waste, reducing infections.”
She also disclosed that regular handwashing with soap and safe drinking water storage are also high-impact practices.
“Investing in drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and water resource management systems is economically beneficial.
“Each dollar invested yields up to eight dollars in benefits. Safer water could annually prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhoea, 500,000 deaths from malaria, and 860,000 child deaths from malnutrition, and protect 10 million people from serious illnesses like lymphatic filariasis and trachoma”, she said.
She also emphasised the impact of the disease on the health of children saying recurrent cholera outbreaks critically affect children and populations at large.
She noted that these vulnerable groups face substantial health risks, particularly those under five who are prone to severe dehydration and higher mortality rates.
Lafoucrier added, “Educational disruption is yet another critical consequence of cholera outbreaks, as illness and the need to care for sick family members lead to school closures and reduced attendance, hindering children’s learning and development.
“Similarly, post-recovery issues in children can include malnutrition, stunted growth, and weakened immune systems, increasing susceptibility to other diseases.”