- Pate said a technical working group was activated through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support states to reduce the transmission of the infectious disease.
- Pate assured Nigerians that the Cholera outbreak would be minimised from spreading to more states and local government areas.
Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, says the federal government has mobilised resources to contain the spread of cholera in the country.
Pate spoke when appeared on “The Morning Brief” a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, where he discussed the efforts to combat the infectious disease.
He said that a technical working group was established through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support states in reducing disease transmission and treating those infected.
“We had anticipated the seasonal outbreak some months ago, the President approved contingency financing for the NCDC and that is what has been used so far, in addition to technical financing. The state also have a role to play to release their own funding,” the health minister said.
“31 states are affected, 107 local governments are affected; about 1,500 Cholera cases have been recorded so far in the country.
The health minister assured Nigerians that the cholera outbreak would be minimised from spreading to more states and local government areas.
“We have to deal with open defecation,“so that faeces will not come in contact with food and water.
“The cholera outbreak is part of a global phenomenon. Cholera is a public health crisis and a disease that comes within the contact of contamination of food, water, poor sanisation, developmental challenges and deficit in infrastructure, open defecation prevalent in many parts of the country is fueling the outbreak.
Speaking further, Pate called for multi-sectorial approach to prevent infectious diseases in the country.
The health minister said all stakeholders, the citizens as well as federal, state and local government administrations – all have preventive roles in ensuring waste management and hygiene sanitation to “see less and less of this issue in years to come.”
“It is not only Cholera by the way, there are other infectious diseases like Typhoid Fever, Tuberculosis, and others. So as we improve the physical infrastructure, the urbanisation and the utilities that are backing that up, we should begin to see healthier population.”