Nigeria recorded more than 100,000 suspected cases of cholera in 2021, its highest in recent times, the WHO declared in Abuja on Monday.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had said earlier in the year that Nigeria recorded 111,062 cases of cholera in 2021 with 3,604 deaths, figures exceeding the number of cases and deaths recorded in 2020.
WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Walter Mulombo, corroborated the figure at a training session on oral cholera vaccine request and campaign planning organised by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC).
The GTFCC is an agency of the WHO.
Mr Mulombo acknowledged the role of the GTFCC and its Country Support Platform (CSP) in the global roadmap for cholera control, especially in endemic countries.
He said the agency had proved to be effective in the development of National Control Plans, which included vaccination and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities.
He said, “We are mindful of the support by different partners and donors through the WHO, for the response.
“These include reactive vaccination with more than 1.7 million persons vaccinated with two doses each of Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) in Bauchi, Jigawa, Yobe, and Zamfara states.
“We believe that the recently approved GTFCC application for Nigeria will significantly mitigate the risk of and upsurge of cholera cases during this rainy season.
“The application covers approximately nine million doses of OCV to implement two campaigns in 14 local government areas in nine states and the FCT.”
