To support these efforts, two Nigerians have built a microsite with a primer on Cholera and the information people need to stay safe and protect themselves. 

Check it out here

Every effort to manage a disease outbreak starts with a public alert. The health agencies (Think: the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the respective Ministry of Health)  sound an alarm. They say, “Hey, you should know we’re dealing with this thing. It’s dangerous, and here’s how you can protect yourself.”

Naturally, there’s always a response to this. People, highly aroused by this information they’ve received, want to know more. They want to learn how to stay safe. So, they ask, “How do I ensure I don’t get this thing? After this thing goes away, there will be a life; I want to be alive and well for it. 

Depending on your age, you’ve probably lived through a similar scenario at least twice. Let’s start with the 2014 Ebola outbreak. As health workers worked quickly, around the clock, to control the spread of the disease, someone decided that salt water was the cure and passed the “information” on. Many people believed it, and it was all they drank for a period. 

As we found out, that was untrue. 

Then, in late 2019, another threatening you-know-what disease broke out. Again, the alarm sounded, and people searched everywhere to find out how to stay safe. But when a vaccine was developed, scores of people hesitated to take it, fearing that it contained microchips and could make you magnetic. This was also untrue. 

Now, it’s 2024, and Nigeria is going through another outbreak — cholera this time.  Although it’s not on the scale of the previous ones, it’s an outbreak nonetheless. In less than three weeks, over 1000 suspected cases and more than 300 deaths have been recorded. 

It is ironic, though, and even dangerous that during these times, misinformation tends to become rife: a present and persistent danger — the opp of all outbreak management and control efforts. 

There are consistent patterns in people’s behaviours and interactions with misinformation during emotionally-charged periods like this. There is no better time to have sources of truth represented. 

Hassan Yahaya remembers the (mis) information frenzy of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. He also remembers a helpful tool he found — EbolaFacts.  Built by Big Cabal Media,  the microsite had credible information Nigerians needed to protect themselves from the virus[ the company also built a similar tool in the wake of the COVID pandemic].

Driven by the space Ebolafacts.com occupied in the world at the time, Hassan wondered what a version of that might look like in the context of the ongoing Cholera outbreak. He got to work with Dipo Ayoola, a designer, and built cholerafacts.com.

Cholerafacts does the same thing every guide does: provide valuable information. The microsite includes everything you need to know about the disease — how to prevent it, how to recognise the symptoms, and what to do if you have it — and is optimised for anyone to sift through its content in less than five minutes. 

Additionally, as this is an ongoing public health issue, Cholerafacts has been built with a feature that tracks suspected cases and recorded death tolls using data from the NCDC. A list of contact numbers also leads you to the proper health agencies you need. 

And if you’re wondering where to get a vaccine (yes, there is one), the Cholerafacts.com links to Famasi, a pharmacy infrastructure platform that connects you to pharmacies across Nigeria.

Hassan hopes the microsite will help people take action, and that every time they interact with it, they have a “better knowledge of how to prevent, care for, or identify the signs of cholera.”

Here’s what we know so far as death and infection toll rises.

What’s the current situation?

On Wednesday, June 19, the Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, said the agency is actively monitoring the situation and might declare an emergency if the outbreak becomes unmanageable.

Earlier, the agency, in a public health advisory published on Wednesday, June 12, said Nigeria recorded 1,141 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 14 deaths across 96 local governments in 30 states from January 1 to June 11. Ten states contributed 90% of the total numbers: Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Lagos.

In Lagos, Special Adviser to the governor on health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, revealed that the state’s cholera cases increased from 15 to 21, while infections rose from 350 to 401.

Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, confirmed the death of a 62-year-old woman, while five victims have been hospitalised. Kunle Ashimi, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (Ogun chapter), said the association is on high alert and monitoring the situation in the state.

The Oyo State government issued a health alert on June 13 following two suspected cases in Ibadan, but there have been no further reported cases. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, assured residents that there’s no cause for alarm as the ministry and other health agencies are monitoring the situation.

What’s the current strain?

The current outbreak is associated with the cholera subtype known as Serovar O1. Lagos State’s Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi, warned that the identified strain is “highly aggressive and contagious, with potential for widespread dissemination.”

Support from international bodies

The World Health Organisation, United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration have lent their support to the ongoing cholera outbreak in Nigeria.

In a post shared on X, Walter Mulombo, WHO country representative, revealed that the international bodies held an emergency meeting on Tuesday, June 18, to discuss joint support for the NCDC.

FG begins water quality analysis

The Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has kicked off a round of water quality analysis to control the cholera outbreak.

Permanent Secretary Aliyu Shinkafi said on Thursday, June 20, that teams from the National Water Quality Reference Laboratories in Lagos, Enugu, and Sokoto have been tasked with collecting water samples to investigate the presence of Vibrio cholera.

“Additionally, the ministry is coordinating with State Technical Working Groups and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies (RUWASSAs) through the WASH in Emergency Technical Working Group (WiETWG) to address the outbreak comprehensively.”

Are tiger nuts and zobo contributing factors?

Following the outbreak, there have been speculations on social media that contaminated tiger nut drinks may be responsible for the cholera outbreak.

However, Biodun Ogunniyi, an epidemiologist with the NCDC, said the agency is about to embark on a case-control study to ascertain the situation and dispel rumours about the drinks.

Who are those at risk of infection?

According to the NCDC health advisory, people most at risk include:

• People of all ages living in places with limited access to clean water
• People living in areas with poor sanitation and poor hygiene
• People living in slum areas where basic water or sanitation infrastructure is missing
• People living in rural areas who depend on surface water or unsafe piped or borehole water sources for drinking
• People who consume potentially contaminated food or fruits without washing and cooking properly
• People who do not perform hand hygiene at appropriate times
• Relatives who care for sick people with cholera at home

Hotlines

Report suspected cholera cases in Lagos to the following emergency contacts: 08023169485 and 08137412348.

You can also dial the NCDC toll-free line 6232.

Read this next: Nigerians, How Can We Make Our Own Hand Sanitizers?

Although the state government issued another official statement yesterday stating that the alarming gastroenteritis cases are contained, this is what’s been happening.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC)… 

The data from the NCDC showed that from January 1 to June 11, 2024, Nigeria reported 1,141 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 14 deaths across 96 local governments in 30 states. Ten states contributed 90% of the total numbers: Abia, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, and lately Lagos.

The Lagos State’s cases

According to the surveillance reports, Prof. Abayomi (Commissioner for Health, Lagos) revealed severe cases in areas like Ikorodu, Kosofe, Eti-Osa and Lagos Island.

The casualties

The Lagos Health Commissioner’s report noted five deaths and nothing less than sixty hospital admissions.

Increased surveillance and investigation

The Ministry of Health Directorate of Environmental Health and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency are alerted to investigate a likely water contamination source around Victoria Island and Lekki. These agencies have also taken in samples for confirmation.

Hotlines

Report suspected cholera cases in Lagos to the following emergency contacts: 08023169485 and 08137412348. You can also dial helplines 112 or 767.

Suspected cases in Ibadan

In a press statement issued on X on June 13, 2024, the Oyo State government reported two admitted suspected cases of Cholera from Lagos state in a private hospital in Ibadan. However, the state’s health agencies are on it.

Federal government’s intervention

The government has established a multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group that comprises the NCDC, Federal Ministries of Environmental and Water Resources, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), World Health Organizations (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners.