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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Nigeria: Cholera Still On Rampage

Article via All Africa, excerpt :

" The annual rampage of the cholera disease is now so predictable that millions of Nigerians rarely pay attention to it.

Yet, its re-occurrence in areas most prone, have had devastating effects with death numbers steadily climbing. In the midst of these harvest of deaths, we also have oasis of hope, that is the near cholera free states. Why are some states cholera prone and some cholera free? Daily Trust Health Insight investigates.

The casualties started trickling in before the rains began last year. Five deaths in Adamawa, 30 in hospital; 11 deaths in Nasarawa; another 11 deaths in Oyo. They spanned 203 local government areas across 26 states.

With a fatality ratio estimated at 3.2%, the disease claimed 742 lives by year end. Epidemiologists in weekly updates overseen by the federal health ministry recorded a total 23, 377 cases.

With the change of season around September, the outbreak began to dwindle. There still were new cases but the number of deaths had reduced.

The first two months in 2012, just two states have recorded cholera cases, the federal health ministry said in its weekly epidemiological update.

The first five weeks saw 14 cases with no death in Kaduna and Gombe. One week later, the suspected cases jumped to 40; one death was reported."

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