The Plateau Commissioner for Health, Mr Kunden Deyin, on Monday said that three persons had been confirmed to have cholera, out of 90 suspected cases in the state.
Deyin, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, said that three other persons had died with symptoms suspected to be cholera.
The commissioner said that the deaths were caused by the non- availability of the Rapid Response Diagnostic Kits, which would have been used to confirm the diagnosis.
He added that the recently suspended strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) was also contributory to the mortality.
“Initially, we had 93 suspected cases of cholera, however, three persons died without our confirming if they had the disease or not.
“Fortunately, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) provided us with Rapid Diagnostic Kits, with which we carried out test on five patients from the 90 suspected cases.
“Three test samples came out positive,’’ Deyin said.
The commissioner expressed optimism that the outbreak would be contained with the suspension of the strike by JOHESU and with the provision of the test kits by the NCDC.
He called on the public to ensure that they always washed their fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, adding that they should also boil their drinking water to kill the organism that caused cholera.
He also called on people to avoid indiscriminate dumping of waste, adding that cholera was a water-borne disease.
According to him, indiscriminately dumped human waste can be washed into various water sources and bodies, especially with the rains. (NAN)
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