By Ken Chiwendu
Lagos State Government says the death toll resulting from the outbreak of cholera in Lagos State has risen to 24 .
Earlier, the government had announced that the infectious disease had claimed 21 lives.
But in an update on Friday, the government said that a total of 24 persons have lost their lives to the disease as of June 19, 2024.
According to the report, a total of 417 suspected cases have been recorded while 35 cases have been confirmed so far across the 20 local government council areas in the state.
On Thursday, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi,who met with members of the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre said that the number of recorded fatalities rose to 21 from 15. She also reported 350 suspected cases.
She said Lagos Island, Kosofe, and Eti Osa were the worst hit as they recorded the highest numbers.
Ogunyemi attributed the rise in cases to the Ileya festivities during which large gatherings occurred.
She, however, noted that suspected cases were subsiding across LGAs particularly in previously affected LGAs due to state government interventions and surveillance efforts.
“The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Environment and its agency, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), continues to collect samples of water sources, food, and beverages to identify the source of contamination. We have also intensified our surveillance activities in communities, particularly in affected local government areas, to address the situation head-on.
“We are also working with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education as well as the Ministry of Tertiary Education to ensure all precautions are taken in our schools to protect children and scholars as they return. Residents must, however, remain vigilant, practice good hand hygiene, and participate in community sanitation activities to stop the spread of cholera,” the Special Adviser stated.
She advised that citizens seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as watery diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, general malaise, and fever, stressing that cholera treatment is provided free of charge at all public health facilities.
