Cholera: 11 People Declared Dead In Ebonyi State

In Ndibokote village of Ezza Inyimagu in Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, a cholera outbreak has claimed the lives of about 11 (eleven) people, including men, women, and children.

Another victim of the cholera outbreak, which is believed to have begun on Monday, September 23, 2024, was a nursing mother who had a 9-month-old child at home.

Speaking at the Iziogo Health Center’s swift response, Hon. Commissioner for Health Dr. Moses Ekuma verified the cholera outbreak and revealed that nine to ten deaths had been reported, with roughly twenty sick individuals receiving treatment.

He listed the steps they had taken to contain the situation and expressed gratitude to His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the Governor of Ebonyi State, for approving funds to purchase medical supplies to combat the outbreak.

Ekuma informed the populace that three treatment facilities—the Iziogo Health Center, Sudan Mission, Onuenyim, and Ndibokote Village—had been created in the area, but he also suggested that they adopt preventative steps to stop the disease from spreading.

“You should rush to any of these emergency treatment centers once you start having symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting, or even any of them,” he said.

The medical expert disclosed that in order to prevent additional deaths in the region, they launched an emergency reaction and praised UNICEF and WHO as development partners for their assistance.

Contributing to the discussion was Dr. Hyacinth Ebenyi, Director of Public Health.

She stated that although they thought the outbreak was caused by a probable case from the woman who was buried, open defecation and poor hygiene were also factors because the people drank water from streams.

Elder Stephen Nwankpuma, a community stakeholder, stated that he informed the appropriate authorities as soon as he received the distress call, which resulted in prompt action from the State Government.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a few Community members claimed that the outbreak started last week with the funeral of a woman who was thought to have died of cholera.

They claimed that when they called Hon. Stephen Nwankpa, the Chairman of the Izzi Local Government Council, and one of the Area Coordinators, they did not get a prompt response.

They further stated that if local politicians had answered their distress calls, the number of deaths that were reported would have been lower.