The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has attributed the recent cholera outbreak in the country to inadequate sanitation and a lack of resources.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge in cholera cases, with Lagos State reporting 15 fatalities.
Discussing the NCDC’s response to the outbreak, the agency’s Director General, Jide Idris, cited poor hygiene as a significant factor contributing to the spread of the disease.
“If you go back to this cholera case, to me, it’s a problem of poor sanitation, both personal and environmental; it’s a problem of lack of access to water. The easiest way for good personal hygiene is hand-washing, especially after using the toilet, and before you cook your food,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise show on Saturday.
“But in a situation where you tell people to do hand-washing and there’s no access to water, it’s a problem. So, I think everybody, including the Federal Government, the state government, different agencies, local governments, even the people themselves, the community, have to come around.”
The NCDC boss called on governments to provide access to clean water and toilets as part of measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease.