By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Plateau State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Cletus Shurkuk, has said the State has not recorded any case of Cholera, adding that his team has alerted all medical apparatus in Plateau to be on red alert to forestall any outbreak.
Shurkuk said however, there were two suspected cases in a local government, but he quickly dispatched a response team to quickly run a test on them and the result came out Negative.
“So, we are bold to say that there is no Cholera case in Plateau State”, he said.
The Commissioner who spoke to our correspondent at the weekend informed that the State epidemiologists’ have been going round radio stations in the State to educate the public on preventive measures and to stick to the universal precautions and preventive methods.
“We are taking these measures so that the State will not record a single case”, Shurkuk said.
He continued: “We are also working in conjunction with other partners as well as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), who are ready to donate drugs to the State in case of any outbreak.
“We are also calling on citizens to adhere to universal precautions like frequent hand hygiene. Hand washing with soap (or ashes) under running water always before/after cooking, eating of food, after visiting the toilet, before and after work and when we return to our houses from work or other places.
“Alcohol based hand sanitizer can also be used on a hand that is not visibly soiled.
“In the absence of portable drinking water, boiling water for about ten (10) minutes before drinking is very important.
“Always wash fruits and fresh vegetables with salt and clean water before consumption.
“Avoid open defecation. Cook seafood properly before consumption and we should always eat our food hot and practice good environmental sanitation practices”, he said.
The Commissioner said the State is on red alert to handle any outbreak and urged citizens once they notice any symptoms of Cholera should hurry to any nearby hospital where they can be attended to.
“We discourage self medication”, he said.
However, earlier in a statement issued by the Ministry of Health in the State, it stated that Cholera is one of the deadliest diseases of public health importance, therefore, the Plateau people should try to prevent themselves from being infected by the disease entity.
“Cholera is defined as an acute (sudden) passage of frequent watery stools which is caused by a bacterium (Vibrio cholerae), which through its secreted endotoxins causes severe watery diarrhea, which may be associated with nausea, vomiting, generalized body weakness, muscle cramps and shock which may lead to coma and death.
“Severe dehydration (due to massive body fluid loss) and electrolytes imbalance are the main causes of death in a patient with cholera disease.
“A patient with cholera if not promptly and properly treated may die within an hour of the disease manifestation. This disease is transmitted through the ingestion of water and food substances contaminated with infected faecal matter (transmission is through faeco-oral route), and this can lead to an outbreak in a community.
“When any person begins to manifest the symptoms of cholera as mentioned above, he/she should visit the nearest Health facility for prompt treatment to avoid complications that may lead to death.
“Furthermore, such cases should be reported to the Surveillance focal person of that facility and the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (DSNO) of that LGA and through the State surveillance team, to the SMoH for prompt action to prevent further spread of the disease.
“Our epidemiological surveillance systems in both the State and LGAs level are robust and continuously monitor for any signs of infectious disease outbreaks, including Cholera”, the statement reads.
