According to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), a total of 583 deaths have been recorded from cholera, while 23,550 people are suspected to have been infected with the disease from January to November 27, 2022.

The NCDC made this known  in its latest weekly Cholera situation report for weeks 44–47 obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

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The report revealed that the suspected cases were reported across 270 Local Government Areas in 33 states.

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

In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.

The report showed that of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group 5–14 years is the most affected; 49 per cent are males and 51 per cent are females.

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The report read in part:

32 states and the FCT have reported suspected cholera cases in 2022. These are Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, FCT, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.

In the reporting month, six states reported 1,393 suspected cases: Borno (1,124), Gombe (165), Bauchi (61), Katsina (16), Adamawa (14), and Kano (13).

There was a 78 per cent decrease in the number of new suspected cases in November Epi weeks 44–47 (1393) compared with October Epi weeks 40–43 (6306).

In the reporting week, Borno (24), Gombe (14), Bauchi (13), Kano (5), Katsina (1), and Adamawa (1), reported 58 suspected cases.

Borno, Gombe, and Bauchi states account for 88% of the 58 suspected cases reported in week 47.

During the reporting week, two Cholera Rapid Diagnostic tests were conducted in Gombe 2 (100% positive).

Two stool culture tests were conducted from Gombe, 1(100 per cent positive) and Bauchi 1(0 per cent positive) in epi week 47.

Of the cases reported, there were two deaths with a weekly case fatality ratio (CFR) of 3.4 per cent. There were no new state-reported cases in week 47.

The National Multi-Sectoral Cholera Technical Working Group continues to monitor response across states.

It added that six states—Borno (1,2459 cases), Yobe (1,888 cases), Katsina (1,632 cases), Gombe (1,407 cases), Taraba (1,142 cases), and Kano (1,131 cases) —account for 84 per cent of all cumulative cases and 15 LGAs across five states Borno (7), Yobe (4), Taraba (2), Gombe (1), and Zamfara (1)—reported more than 200 cases each this year.