An unspecified number of people have been killed in a suspected cholera outbreak in the Emeroke community, Eastern Obolo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
The Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Health, Patrick Essiet, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
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Ekerete Udoh, the spokesperson for Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, posted the statement on his Facebook page at 11:42 a.m. on Sunday, 19 January.
The permanent secretary, Mr Essiet, said the ministry’s attention was drawn to a “few cases of a disease with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting” in the community on Sunday morning.
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“The information provided also suggested a few fatalities in the community, that though not yet verified, may be linked to the disease,” said Mr Essiet, a medical doctor.
He said the ministry had immediately dispatched a disease surveillance team, led by the State Epidemiologist, to the community to confirm and begin enlightenment campaigns on ways to mitigate the outbreak.
“The Ministry of Health hereby advises members of the community and the environs that as an immediate intervention, proper hand washing should be done especially after defecation, that drinking water should be boiled before consumption, and all persons with symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting should seek immediate treatment at the nearest health facility.
“Furthermore, the ministry reminds community leaders to enforce the government’s existing ban on open defecation.
“While the state government is working on a long-term solution, the mwinistry is currently mobilising supplies to the community as an immediate and short-term measure,” Mr Essiet added.
Eastern Obolo, one of the major oil-producing communities in Akwa Ibom, has been abandoned in shocking poverty for decades, according to a 2017 report by PREMIUM TIMES.
Here is how the paper reported the situation in the area:
“Evidence of civilisation is scarce here: no electricity or pipe-borne water. Locals drink from open ponds that are available throughout the community. And nearly all the houses here, including a local branch of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, are built with palm fronds.
“Many people in Eastern Obolo drink from ponds, not minding its colour and taste. During dry seasons when the ponds are dry, residents dig deeper in the soil for water.”
Two days ago, PREMIUM TIMES reported how a suspected Cholera outbreak killed nine people in the neighbouring Rivers State.
