By Gabriella Ogbu<\/p>\n
Professor Tanimola Akande, a public health expert at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, has emphasized that vaccination is one of the most economical methods to reduce cholera outbreaks. In an interview, Akande highlighted the need for additional preventive measures, including proper sanitation practices, such as appropriate disposal of feces and maintaining food and water hygiene.<\/p>\n
Cholera, an acute diarrheal illness caused by the Gram-negative, spiral-shaped bacteria Vibrio cholerae, is predominantly waterborne and can be fatal. Only two serogroups of V. cholerae, O1 and O139, are known to cause epidemics.<\/p>\n
On June 11, 2024, Professor Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, issued a warning regarding a surge in acute gastroenteritis cases in the state. Affected areas included Kosofe Local Government Area, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Eti-Osa communities. The outbreak led to approximately 60 hospital admissions and five recorded deaths, mostly due to severe dehydration upon late arrival at medical facilities. As of now, fifteen confirmed deaths have been reported in Lagos State.<\/p>\n
The Vaxchora vaccine, approved for individuals aged 2 to 64 visiting cholera-endemic regions, should be administered orally at least ten days before travel. According to Akande, while vaccination is cost-effective, it alone cannot contain cholera epidemics. Proper sanitation, water supply, and food hygiene are also critical. He stressed the importance of preventing cholera contamination through proper disposal of fecal waste and maintaining a robust surveillance system to detect and manage outbreaks early.<\/p>\n
Akande also underscored the role of university researchers and other institutions in providing technical assistance to government bodies for investigating and managing cholera outbreaks. He suggested that these organizations could supply data to help formulate policies and enhance decision-making processes. Moreover, universities could aid in capacity-building for health personnel to better control epidemics.<\/p>\n
He urged all levels of government to intensify efforts to eliminate open defecation and ensure all buildings have functional restrooms. Additionally, he advocated for the promotion of personal hygiene through health education, improved food hygiene, and prompt reporting of suspected cholera cases to medical facilities.<\/p>\n
Professor Christiana Ayolabi from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Lagos recommended that the government distribute cholera vaccines and educate the public on preventive measures, such as hand washing and proper handling of food and fruits. She suggested using media and health talks in markets and schools for this purpose. Ayolabi also called for free treatment for patients with diarrhea and supported proper sewage treatment before environmental discharge. She emphasized the need for regular environmental sanitation and mandatory testing of food and sachet water products for pathogens.<\/p>\n
Ayolabi pointed out the crucial role of university researchers in conducting surveillance studies to identify the disease’s spread and origins. She stressed the importance of testing fruits and water samples to trace the source of epidemics, stating that the outbreak would persist if the source is not addressed. She highlighted funding challenges faced by universities, which hinder their response capabilities, and called for adequate resources to identify the outbreak’s causative agent in the lab.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Gabriella Ogbu Professor Tanimola Akande, a public health expert at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, has emphasized that vaccination is one of the most economical methods to reduce cholera outbreaks. In an interview, Akande highlighted the need for additional preventive measures, including proper sanitation practices, such as appropriate disposal of feces and maintaining […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-35307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35312,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35307\/revisions\/35312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}