President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, set up a committee to oversee the emergency operations centre led by the National Center for Disease Control in response to the outbreak of cholera in Nigeria.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, disclosed this after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Villa.
Pate said, “The President directed that a cabinet committee be set up to oversee what the emergency operation centre led by NCDC is doing and for the resources to be provided, complemented by the state government.”
According to the minister, the council was setup to curb the spread of cholera infections and slow down the death rate across the country.
He noted that the cabinet committee will complement efforts from state governments to reduce open defecation as tackling cholera requires a multisectoral approach.
The committee will comprise members from the Ministries of Health, Finance, Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, and Education.
According to the minister, 31 states have recorded 1,528 cholera cases with 53 deaths so far.
Pate said, “At the moment, about 31 states have recorded 1,528 cases and 53 deaths in Nigeria; that is what we are working on through the emergency operation centre that NCDC activated on Monday.
“Now we have a cholera outbreak, and we discussed it extensively in the Council, in addition to a new emergence of yellow fever, specifically in Bayelsa State. On cholera, we are in the middle of the 7th pandemic globally, which is decades in the making.
“In 2022, the world had almost 500,000 cases of cholera, so it is not only peculiar to Nigeria. In 2023, almost 700,000 cases of cholera were reported by the World Health Organisation. More than 200,000 cases have occurred this year in five world regions.
‘Multisectoral approach is given with technical partners other ministries water, environment, Heath, CSOs contributing in that effort and to ensure we contain them.
“Resources were deployed to 21 states to help them respond to cholera. We are improving awareness of the population, handwashing, hygiene sanitation, in addition to treatment with drugs, intravenous fluids.”
