Cholera: Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos, hit with 25 cases

Kirikiri Correctional Centre, Lagos, has been hit with 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis
cases caused by cholera.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, stated this on Sunday and signed by the State Ministry of Health’s Director of Public Affairs, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo.

Abayomi, however, stated that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures had been implemented with success.

Abayomi disclosed the update on the cholera outbreak following the “One Health” Inter-governmental agency strategic meeting held over the weekend.

He added that although no new cholera-related deaths had been reported in the last 72 hours, the government was intensifying countermeasures to eliminate transmission.

Abayomi expressed delight that interventions are yielding positive results because residents are complying with public health information and advice on safety measures.

“However, he reported that a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis occurred at Kirikiri Medium security prison confirmed to be caused by Cholera, adding that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures have been implemented with success,” the statement said.

“We were able to supply Kirikiri Medium Prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention and other health consumables. Additionally, the World Health Organisation has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals which have been delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies for about 3,200 inmates if required. Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the state,” the statement said.

While addressing the source of the original outbreak two weeks ago, Abayomi had disclosed that it had been traced to unregulated street beverages and contaminated water supply.

He explained that many of the samples taken from popular street beverages purchased by undercover environmental officers from the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Health in the affected areas confirmed the presence of vibrio cholera bacteria, which is the cause of cholera.

“All of the containers had no NAFDAC accreditation numbers, indicating they are small cottage backyard informal production units. Identifying the precise location of manufacture has proven difficult and the directorate of environmental health is planning to seal any such unregulated manufacture and make arrests of anybody involved with the manufacture or distribution of beverages without NAFDAC numbers,” Abayomi said.