Cholera Cases Recorded in Edo State, Government Assures Public of Swift Action

The Edo State Government has reported eight suspected cases of cholera disease in the state, with the Director of Public Health, Dr Ojeifo Stephenson, confirming the development at a press briefing in Benin City on Wednesday.

According to Stephenson, the eight suspected cases were among 16 patients admitted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). The patients were admitted after an alert was received last Thursday, and the hospital quickly mobilized its team, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to investigate and treat the patients.

The patients underwent a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), with eight of them testing positive. The samples from these patients have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for a confirmatory test. Until the results are confirmed, the government will not declare the cases as positive.

However, the good news is that all the patients have been discharged from the hospital, except one who is still receiving treatment. The government has assured the public that it is on top of the situation, with the support of WHO staff in the state.

The Director of Public Health also disclosed that a surveillance system has been activated for contact tracing and line listing, and that those who had contact with the patients have been identified. Community enlightenment has also been carried out to determine what the patients took before the incidents.

Stephenson urged the public to maintain good hygiene and a clean environment, and to report any suspected cases to the nearest hospital or health facility. He also disclosed that 36 persons have died of Lassa fever in the state since the beginning of the year, with 226 cases confirmed out of 2,300 suspected cases.

The government has been working to eradicate the causative rats to ensure a Lassa fever-free Edo State.