Cholera Outbreak in Kaduna School Claims One Life, 55 Others Hospitalised

By John Shiklam in Kaduna

A cholera outbreak at the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Kawo, Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State has led to the death of one student while 55 others have been hospitalised.

The commissioner for Education, Jafaru Sani, confirmed the development to newsmen when he visited the school on Monday to assess the situation.
The commissioner who said the situation had been brought under control, said 55 students were initially admitted at the general hospital, Kawo, but 15 were discharged, leaving 40 others on admission.

“The situation is under control. When we heard about the report, I called the commissioner for health and human service who immediately ordered the authority of Kaduna North local government to deploy health workers to the school immediately.

“The ministry of health has also made provision for a makeshift control centre within the school,” he said.
The affected students were said to be having diarrhea and were vomiting.
The Deputy Director, Disease Control Centre in the state ministry of health, Dr. Ibrahim Suleiman, said the students were admitted at the hospital due to diarrhea and vomiting.

“We are yet to confirm the real cause of the problem, but there are a lot of contamination around the water source the students are using which may be a serious contributory factor.

“Apart from these students on admission, we are also investigating another 89 cases apart from diarrhea and vomiting,” Suleiman said.
The principal of the school who was on ground declined to make any comment about the cholera outbreak.

One of the parents who came to pick his daughter, said the well, the only source of water for the students, was littered with faeces.
“The overhead tank in the school was not working thereby making it difficult for the students to use the toilet facility in the school.

“My daughter was affected. The school hygiene was too poor. There is excreta around the well where these children are getting water,” he said.