Cholera Kills 76 in Ebonyi, Says Health Commissioner

By Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Daniel Umezurike, on Wednesday disclosed that the outbreak of cholera in the state has killed over 76 people.

He also disclosed that the state has recorded 83 cases of Lassa fever, with 10 of the victims dead.

Briefing newsmen on the successes of the ministry, the Commissioner noted that 38 communities and 11 out of the 13 Local government areas of the state were affected by the cholera outbreak.

He noted that the ongoing construction of the South East Virology within the premises of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA was already 95 percent completed as all the equipment needed for the centre would arrive within the week.

The Commissioner further disclosed that over 76 persons had died in 38 communities across 11 local government areas of the state since the outbreak of Cholera, february 2015 and that within 5 months of its outbreak only 2 LGAs, Afikpo North and Onicha were not affected by the epidemic.

“To curb the cholera outbreak, we quickly mobilized our Surveillance and Response Team to all the places discovered to have been ravaged by the deadly disease and with the help and logistics support of our dear Governor, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi; we were able to control the five (5) months old epidemic within two weeks“.

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