At least 37 people have died while more than 3,000 cases of cholera have been recorded across seven local government areas of Borno State in May, authorities have said.
The Executive Secretary of the Borno State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Dr Saleh Kaza, confirmed the figures in a statement on Saturday, describing the outbreak as a serious public health emergency requiring urgent preventive measures.
Kaza said the cases were recorded between May 1 and May 29, following the confirmation of the first infection earlier in the month.
He said, “Following the first incident report on the 1st of May and confirmation on the 4th of May, it is confirmed that we are facing a serious health crisis as a devastating cholera outbreak has struck Borno, with over 3,000 reported cases and 37 tragic deaths across 36 wards in 7 local government areas (LGAs) within May.”
He added that in the last 24 hours, over 100 cases were reported, and over the last 29 days of May, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council has the highest incidence, recording more than 2,000 cases, followed by Jere with over 1,000.
