Cholera Can Kill Within Hours If Not Treated, NCDC Warns

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has warned that Cholera can kill infected people within hours if left untreated.

This was made known by the NCDC in a post on its official Facebook page.

The center said persons who suspect they have Cholera should report early for treatment to increase the chances of survival.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae; a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium.

It can both be endemic and epidemic. A cholera-endemic area is an area where confirmed cholera cases were detected during 3 out of the last 5 years with evidence of local transmission.

In Nigeria, Cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation, with the first series of cholera outbreaks reported between 1970 and 1990. Major epidemics also occurred in 1992, 1995-1996, and 1997.

Humans are the main reservoir of Vibrio cholera but water, mollusc, fish and aquatic plants are potential reservoirs.

The NCDC said, “With an incubation period of at least 2 hours, cholera can kill within hours if untreated.

“It is easily transmitted in areas with poor sanitation hygiene practices and lack of clean water. Reporting suspected cases early increases the chances of survival.”

A total of 2,523 suspected cases of cholera including 78 deaths have been reported from 31 states.

The latest data obtained from the NCDC showed that the case fatality rate of cholera stands at 3.1 percent.

“Of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, age group <5 years is the most affected age group for male and female. “Of all suspected cases, 50% are males and 50% are females. “Six states – Taraba (639 cases), Cross River (591), Katsina (141 cases), kano (155cases), Ondo (117 cases), and Benue (101 cases) account for 69% of all cumulative cases. “Six LGAs across two states Cross River (3) and Taraba (3) reported more than 100caseseach this year,” the report read in part.