THE Federal Government has advised Nigerians to avoid locally-made drinks such as fura, zobo and Kunu to stem cholera outbreaks.
The government also urged the citizens to adopt proper hygiene and sanitation at home and workplaces.
According to Punch, the order was issued in a statement on Monday, June, 24 in Abuja by the Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako.
Salako tasked citizens to maintain a clean workplace and appropriately dispose of rubbish at designated locations.
He added that water from suspicious sources should be well boiled or treated.
“Wash hands regularly with soap under running water, especially after using the toilet, cleaning a child who has gone to the toilet, before preparing food, before and after eating, and after playing with animals,” the minister stated.
He also urged state and local governments to step up environmental health surveillance in locations where food and beverages are served.
These locations include stores, parking lots, schools, dining establishments, stadiums, places of worship, and sports venues.
Salako stated that the actions would contribute to the prevention of the disease and hinder the spread and transmission of cholera.
He urged all local government leaders and commissioners for the environment to assist environmental health officials in stepping up sanitation and hygiene initiatives through improved community-led complete sanitation.
Salako pointed out that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recently released a cholera situation report with 1,159 suspected cases, 65 confirmed cases, and 30 deaths spread over 30 states.
According to him, the most affected states are Bayelsa, Lagos, Zamfara, Abia, Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta, and Katsina, which account for 90 per cent of all cases.
Salako said the illness still posed threats to public health worldwide, affecting both adults and children and having the potential to be fatal if left untreated.
The ICIR reported that the Lagos State Government said its officials traced the current cholera outbreak in the state to the consumption of unregistered tiger nut drink sold in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA).
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed this in an interview with PUNCH published on Saturday, June 22.
Ogunyemi said the discovery was made during investigations conducted by the Ministries of Health and Environment following the outbreak.
She also disclosed that there were other contributory factors to the outbreak including open defecation and a lack of potable water.
She warned Nigerians to desist from self-medication upon noticing such symptoms, but report immediately to a hospital.
Cholera, an endemic disease, is still one of the major diseases affecting Nigerians, particularly in the rural region of the country.
The disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), is an acute diarrheal infection characterised, in its severe form, by extreme watery diarrhoea and potentially fatal dehydration.
It is largely caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance