U-Save Foundation has provided medical supplies to health centres in Dei Dei and Dakwa communities in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, following the recent outbreak of cholera.
Cholera is a waterborne disease, and the risk of transmission is higher when there is poor sanitation and disruption of clean water supply.
The wrong disposal of refuse and practices such as open defecation endanger the safety of water used for drinking and personal use.
The Country Director of the foundation, Uju Anwukah, who presented the medical supplies, called on residents of the affected areas to maintain a clean environment and ensure they keep to strict personal hygiene practices.
At least 22 states of the federation and the FCT are battling cholera, which has infected over 30,000 persons, with more than 1,000 deaths, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The affected states are Benue, Delta, Zamfara, Gombe, Bayelsa, Kogi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Cross River, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, Adamawa, Katsina, and Borno.
During her presentation of supplies to the health centres, Anwukah stated that a team of experts and volunteers from the U-Save Foundation had identified Kubwa ward as an emergency zone following the report of 135 active cases and 33 deaths.
‘Clean environment and safe food practices are the secrets to well-being. It is obvious that our environment is still challenged by open defecation, unguided refuse dumping and poor access to clean drinking water, which has given rise to the cholera outbreak in our communities’, said Anwukah
‘This deadly disease will continue to take the lives of our people especially our children if proper medical interventions and prevention methods are not implemented’.
Following an increase in the number of cholera cases, the National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was activated on 22 June, 2021.
The EOC includes representation from the federal ministries of environment and water resources, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners.
Photo source: U-Save Foundation
