By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Ministry of Environment said it will be flagging off National Environmental Sanitation Response Intervention for cholera outbreak in Kubwa, Abuja which is currently the epi-centre in the FCT.
Minister of Environment,Dr. Mohammad Abubakar made the disclosure yesterday at a briefing on the cholera outbreak in Nigeria.
He said the ministry in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including Environmental Health Officer’s (EHO’s),in the states and Local Government Areas will embark on nationwide intervention response activities.
“Nigeria is currently experiencing cholera outbreak in several parts of the country with reported cases of fatalities.
“ Latest situation report from Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) released on 10th August 2021 indicated a total number of 33,661 suspected cases including 938 deaths in 22 states and FCT(Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Borno, Kastina, Adamawa and FCT) with increasing number of new cases in, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano, Gombe, Plateau, Niger, Zamfara and Abuja FCT”.
He explained that, It is against this background that the Federal Ministry of Environment is organising this press conference to respond to the increasing rate of spread of Cholera cases across the country, sensitize the general public on cholera preventive and control measures to avert further outbreaks and strengthen collaboration with NCDC and other stakeholders in tackling the cholera scourge.
The minister in responding to the in recent cholera outbreak, said the federal ministry of environment,has activated the Sanitation Desks in the 36 State Ministries of Environment and FCT.
He urged them to carry out environmental sanitation activities in their various states aimed at containing the outbreak.
The ministry has also requested the Environmental Health Officers in the states and local governments across the country to intensity their efforts in carrying out sanitary inspection of premises and abatement of nuisances that could result to diseases outbreak such as cholera,Lassa fever”.
