Maiduguri is a very big metropolis and its hospitals used to attract patients from all the states in the North-East sub-region and neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroun and Chad Republics. But the condition of the state-owned healthcare system is grossly pathetic to the extent that people now prefer to take their patients to neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroun for treatment if they possess the financial strength while those who cannot afford such always suffer.

Within few weeks of the outbreak of cholera epidemic in the state, not less than 45 people had reportedly died in six local government areas of the state, the reason not unconnected with lack of access to potable water, as the people of the area had long been relying on hand-dug wells and stagnant water since the commencement of the raining season.

Some of the affected local government areas which include Dikwa, Kala Balge, Kukawa, Marte, Guzamala, and Abadam  were also affected by the last year outbreak which claimed over 100 lives.

While there was no room in the hospitals particularly at the Bullumkuttu Ultra-mordern Hospital and Fatima Ali Sheriff Hospital in Maisandari ward to admit the victims of the recent outbreak, it was gathered that out of the six local governments, Abadam Local Government recorded the highest casualties of about 11 deaths while no fewer than five children died in their prime at Tunban Gini village by the acute intestines disease.

In an interview with the then acting Commissioner of Health, Alhaji Modu Fannami Gubio, he confirmed the outbreak at a media briefing but insisted “only few people were affected.” He said the victims might have used or taken water suspected to be contaminated, stating that the government, through the Ministry of Health, had received reports on the outbreak. “The reports we had just received on the unfortunate outbreak of cholera and other water-borne diseases in Borno state showed that out of the six affected council areas, two had eight deaths from about 25 people who contracted the disease. The remaining 13 people that died since this outbreak were from the council areas of Guzamala and Abadam,” he stated.

The acting Commissioner also said that most of the rural dwellers in the affected communities had been using water drawn from wells and ponds and that the ministry had mobilised a team of health personnel to the affected areas with drugs and water treatment chemicals to curtail further spread.

Also, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, while chatting with some media men in Maiduguri, revealed that the state government had spent the sum of N100 million for the treatment of cholera epidemic which had been ravaging the state as a result of contaminated in water which the affected people drank.

He said that according to the analysis carried out by the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the cholera epidemic was caused by chemicals used by farmers in food preservation and sprayed on farmlands to control weeds and pests, adding that some disgruntled opposition politicians were taking advantage of the cholera epidemic to play politics which he said was not fair, because, according to him, sickness was a natural occurrence and the epidemic had affected not only Borno state but several states in the northern part of the country, and even the neighbouring Cameroun Republic.

He further said that his government was determined to provide efficient and effective healthcare delivery services to the people of the state, as no responsible government would toy with the health of its citizens, adding that several hospitals and health centres were built across the state by this administration to cater for the health of the people of Borno state.

Speaking in a phone interview with journalists on the state of things in the affected communities and treatment centres, the commissioner of health, Alhaji Kashim Shettima said that with the intervention and assistance of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in ascertaining cholera and other water-borne diseases, the state government was in full control of the epidemic.

He said noted that due the quick response of the Ministry of Health’s team of personnel to the outbreak of gastro-enteritis and cholera, the current death toll stood at 212 from the 4,583 cases recorded from the 26 treatment centres.

According to him, what brought the cases of cholera to normalcy was the massive sensitisation exercise on personal hygiene and the warnings against taking contaminated water, vegetables and fruits, adding that farmers in Northern Borno, particularly in Kukawa council area, had been advised to wear protective gloves on their hands and faces, while spraying their farmlands with pesticides and herbicides as the use and drinking of water contaminated with herbicides and pesticides, made the people in the affected communities contract gastro-enteritis and other water-borne diseases.

Bauchi state has also been battling with the outbreak of cholera in the last two months which has led to the death of close to 100 people though statistics available indicated that 80 victims of the outbreak had been confirmed dead by the health authorities in the state, including the state chapter of the Red Cross Society through its Secretary, Adamu Abubakar.

The state Health Commissioner, Yahaya Mohammed Jalam disclosed in an interactive session with journalists that the state government had taken steps to ensure that the outbreak did not spread again, just as appropriate medical measures had been put in place to treat all those who were at the camp set aside for them at the ATBUTH, Bauchi as well as other camps across the state.

The Commissioner also disclosed that the state had received drugs worth millions of naira from both the Federal Ministry of Health as well as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, adding that other health-related NGOs had extended hands of fellowship to the victims.

He was particularly happy with the response of the members of the Medicines san frontiers, who had since arrived the state and were managing the victims as well as ensuring that preventive measures were put in place to check its spread.

The Executive Chairman of Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Musa Mohammed Dambam, said that his agency had since been fully engaged in the treatment of the victims, just as it was going round the state to educate the people on the preventive measures to take in order to check spread to others who were not infected but had victims.

He said that a separate camp was opened for the victims and their relations in order to separate them from others who might be in the hospital because of other ailments, pointing out that this measure had helped in minimising the number of victims. He called on the people to ensure that they did not engage in self-treatment immediately they notice that someone had been infected but should rush such a person to the hospital for prompt medical attention.

The BSPHCDA boss also added that a joint task force had been put in place comprising of all the health sector stakeholders in the state, as well as the traditional institution, to ensure that adequate awareness was made to enable the people understand the need to keep a clean environment and avoid being infected, adding that all hand-dug wells and other sources of drinking water across the state, particularly areas worst hit, were to be treated with chlorine while the areas would be sprayed to kill the germs and mosquitoes to avoid malaria.

In Gombe state where there was also cholera outbreak, 41 people had so far died while over 750 cases had been reported across the state, just as people had been advised to immediately access the nearest health facilities as soon as the infection which is water-borne is noticed.

The State Commissioner of Health, Mohammed Isa Umaru, while speaking to newsmen on the outbreak, said  there were cases in eight local government areas of the state which are Akko, Gombe, Kwami, Kaltungo,  Biliri, Yamaltu, Deba and Balaga, assuring that measures had been taken to ensure that it did not spread to other areas that were not infected.

The Commissioner also said that the state government had mobilized enough funds and procurred the required drugs which were being administered on the victims free of charge in order to make treatment readily available to the people and check the number of deaths being recorded.

He however lamented that as at the time he was speaking to the newsmen, the state government had not received any support from the Federal Government, though it had notified the relevant federal agencies of the outbreak in the state.

Umar then called on the people to ensure that all cases of cholera were brought to the notice of health personnel who had been stationed across the state, saying that very soon, a centre for the victims would be established for proper and effective coordination of treatment, just as he advised them to be careful of sources of water they drink.

However, as cholera outbreak is ravaging some northern states in the country, the Kano State government has said it has not recorded any outbreak.

The Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Dr Tajudeen Gambo, who disclosed this to Sunday Tribune said this was due to necessary measures put in place to prevent it. He stated that its hospitals were well equipped in terms of investigation and tests as all the laboratories were prepared to tackle the disease in case of any eventuality. According to him, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee had already been set up with the aim of tackling whatever kind of epidemic that could occur within the state capital and the local government areas.

Dr. Gambo stated further that the ministry was embarking on a radio programme aimed at sensitising the general public on the causes, signs, symptoms and prevention of cholera.

He also disclosed that everything was in order, adding that the Emir of Kano, Alhaji (Dr.) Ado Bayero had also been sensitizing the general public through the radio on preventive measures against the disease.

The Permanent Secretary then advised the general public to ensure that they wash all fruits and vegetables before consumption, and  also maintain a clean environment.

Also in Kogi state, the government has said that it was making frantic efforts to stop the disease from breaking out in any part of the state. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr (Mrs) Dorcas Onumiyan told Sunday Tribune in Lokoja that the state government was not resting on its oars to ensure that the state did not record an outbreak of cholera.

Mrs Onumiyan explained that despite the reported cases of outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country and neighbouring states, Kogi State had not recorded any which she attributed to the efforts of the state government in providing potable water to the teeming populace of the state, particularly, at the rural areas.

According to her, “we have not received any report so far, but the only preventive measure is to sensitise our people, to educate them the use of clean water and good personal hygiene because that is the only way you can prevent this thing from happening. Another one is that we have educated them that if there is any case of passing water, coloured faeces, they should report at nearby hospitals and ministry too, but so far, we have not gotten one in the state.”

The commissioner further explained that the state had always been having emergency preparedness through the setting up of task force to be promptly mobilised if there is any case of the disease. “The state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has provided funds for us so as to hurriedly tackle such case if there is any report from the state,” she added, adding that the ministry had in stock drugs to tackle the disease if it eventually, breaks out.

Mrs Onumiyan said that following the sensitization and thorough education given to the people of the state, the state for some years now had not recorded any outbreak of cholera but explained that the ministry would continue to educate the people and also provide potable water to the populace so as to prevent the disease in the state, as she concluded by saying, “prevention is better than cure”.