Nigeria cholera update: Nearly 70K suspect cases reported in first 8 months of 2021

September 14, 2021

Africa, Headlines

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In a follow-up on the cholera outbreak in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reports through September 5, a total of 69,925 suspected cases including 2,323 deaths (CFR 3.3%) from 25 states and FCT in 2021.

Three Nigerian states account for 53% of all cumulative cases– Bauchi (18,132 cases), Kano (10,187 cases) and Jigawa (8,911 cases), officials report.

In just the week ending on Sept. 5, 12 states reported 1,677 suspected cases – Bauchi (566), Katsina (282), Sokoto (258), Yobe (183), Borno (179), Niger (94), Kaduna (66), Adamawa (34), Gombe (8), Kano
(4), Kebbi (2), and Nasarawa (1). This is actually a big decrease from the week prior when nearly 4,000 cases were reported.

Children, ages 5 to 14, are the most affected demographic.

Cholera remains a global threat to public health. WHO estimates that every year there are roughly 1.3 to 4 million cases, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths globally due to cholera. Symptoms include among others, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and dehydration.