Cholera outbreak: Measures in place to combat spread- Ondo commissioner

Ondo state commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, has said the state has put safety measures in place to combat the spread of cholera in Ondo state.

Ajaka said it has also activated its surveillance for immediate response to any case of cholera in the state.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Press Officer of the state Ministry of Health, Bisi Lawani, in Akure, the state capital on Tuesday.

Ajaka disclosed that two cases of the disease were recorded in Okitipupa Local Government Areas of the state in the beginning of the year, but was curtailed by the rapid response team of the state

According to the commissioner, the state had strengthened the rapid response team which comprises primary health care coordinators , lab focal persons, disease surveillance officers in the three senatorial districts of the state through the COPREP programme

He said , “The surveillance team was also strengthened by the COPREP program with community informants / contact tracers, trained and placed on stipends for eight months. They however would be deployed for active case search in preparation for cholera outbreak.

“An emergency preparedness committee would be put place to work on issues such as provision of portable water, sanitation, strengthening of the health institutions and other relevant sectors which would be a collaborative effort between all the agencies in the health sector and other MDAs such as Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Information, Water Resources and Waste management Agency .”

The commissioner also stated that an incident management system would be set up through the Emergency Operations Centre, which would facilitate case detection, isolation and treatment of cases including complications, noting that the government would play its part by sensitising and creating awareness in the mass media and also through community engagement.

Ajaka appealed to people of the state to maintain a high level of personal and food hygiene and report promptly to the hospital in case of diarrhoea and vomiting.