UPDATED : Cholera outbreak kills 20 in Bauchi-Official

Bauchi State Government has confirmed the death of 20 persons from a cholera outbreak in the state.

The State Commissioner of Health Dr Aliyu Maigoro confirmed this at a news conference on Tuesday morning.

He said the index case was a 37- year- old housewife, who was admitted at the Burra General Hospital on April 24, 2021, in the Ningi Local Government Area of the state.

Read Also:Gombe : Fresh Cholera Outbreak Kills 5, 16 Hospitalized

Dr Aliyu Maigoro said upon her admission, it was discovered there is an ongoing outbreak of the similar disease in neighbouring communities like Sumaila and other Local Government Areas of Kano State, which may have spread to Bauchi State.

Dr Maigoro said the latest outbreak of the disease in the state hit the capital, Bauchi the most with 147 cases recorded there, out of the 322 cases confirmed cases in nine local government areas.

He said, “As of today, we have 322 reported cases out of which we lost about 20 patients. This brings the fatality rate to almost 6.2.’’

“Based on the epidemiological pattern and the clinical diagnosis, the physicians and response team are aware of the case definition and we have been following this event closely.”

According to Dr Maigoro, the Health Ministry, through the Primary Health Care Development Agency, responded immediately to prevent the spread to other communities and it was discovered that there was an ongoing outbreak of similar diseases in neighbouring Sumaila and other LGAs of Kano State.

Due to the outbreak, the state has activated its rapid response team and isolation centres in all the general hospitals of the affected local government areas, while four cholera treatment units have also been activated in the Bauchi metropolis.

Dr. Maigoro noted that four cholera treatment units activated are at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital; Specialist Hospital, Bauchi; Urban Maternity; and Primary Health Center, Kandahar.