Disease outbreak kills 17 in Kwara state

According to a report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), a cholera outbreak in Kwara state has led to the death of 17 people.

This was disclosed in the agency's weekly epidemiological report for Week 26 released on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

According to the report, 1,617 suspected cases of cholera were reported throughout the state with the 17 fatalities representing a 1.1% fatality rate.

A majority of 818 (50.5%) suspected cases were reported from the Ilorin West LGA of the state, with the most endangered group being children aged between one to five years old with a total of 460 (28.4%) cases. Males also made up over half of the reported cases, accounting for 51.6%.

The report advocated for people be more health conscious, focusing on "prevention of cholera through environmental hygiene practices."

According to the report, "Instituting the habit of good environmental hygiene is a first step in preventing cholera outbreaks in a community or region, as the transmission cycle is not established at this point and an outbreak can be prevented."

To observe proper hygiene, NCDC advised people to take proper care of residential areas, especially by disposing waste appropriately.

"Environmental hygiene, in this context, focuses on care of residential areas, proper treatment and disposal of waste during an outbreak," the report said.

The agency also said the fight for better hygiene should be a collaborative effort.

"To achieve the maximal impact of any of the aforementioned practices, a communal approach is encouraged. This will support better fostering and impact on the general public on the importance of environmental hygiene practices, in and out of an outbreak season.

"These preventive messages should constitute part of the messages given to the general public at the community, LGA, State and national levels before and during an outbreak," the agency's report noted.