The ongoing cholera outbreak in various Local Government Areas of Lagos State, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals, has prompted the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to call on the state government to promptly deliver high-quality water and sanitation facilities to communities.

In order to minimize the fatalities linked to the disease, UNICEF urged the state government to enhance its healthcare infrastructure, ensuring readiness to address emergencies during outbreaks.

The international agency also encouraged the state government to conduct public awareness campaigns on cholera prevention to safeguard children and the wider populace.

The Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucrier, conveyed this message on Saturday in response to the cholera outbreak in the state, which has claimed at least 15 lives.

According to Lafoucrier, the cholera outbreaks underscore the critical need for improved access to clean water and sanitation in numerous areas.

The Lagos State Ministry of Health reported 350 suspected cases of cholera across 29 wards in various Local Government Areas, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 fatalities.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention disclosed on Thursday that Nigeria had documented 65 confirmed cholera cases, resulting in 30 deaths from January 1 to June 11 across 96 local government areas in 30 states.

Cholera is a highly infectious water and food-borne illness transmitted through direct contact by consuming contaminated food or water, as well as indirect transmission due to poor hygiene and inadequate handwashing.

Typical symptoms of cholera include sudden onset of severe watery diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and fever.

Lafoucrier emphasized that despite efforts by the state government to provide water to the populace, the current outbreak underscores the urgent necessity for the government to ensure that the water supply is clean and safe for public consumption.

She mentioned, “Addressing the challenges of cholera outbreaks requires a deliberate focus of state policies to provide high-standard water and sanitation facilities, as well as strengthened healthcare systems capable of responding to the demand in times of outbreaks, and state-led educational campaigns on cholera prevention to protect children and the population at large.

“To alleviate cholera outbreaks, a comprehensive approach is essential. Sustainable WASH infrastructure and strengthened health systems capable of anticipating epidemics as well as, effective community engagement strategies are crucial to halt transmission.”

According to her, preventing cholera ultimately centres on good sanitation and hygiene practices.

“This includes enhancing water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, implementing rapid surveillance, promoting social mobilisation, administering treatment, and utilizing oral cholera vaccines.

“Key actions include proper disposal of faeces, eliminating open defecation, and ensuring access to potable water. Regular handwashing with clean, running water and soap is vital.

“Additionally, avoiding the consumption of uncooked vegetables, unwashed fruits, raw or undercooked seafood, and food from street vendors is important to reduce the risk of cholera infection”, she highlighted.

Lafoucrier stressed that access to quality water and sanitation facilities is essential in preventing the spread of diseases like cholera, which claims approximately 100,000 lives every year, highlighting the critical importance of investing in robust water and sanitation infrastructure to reduce the burden of waterborne diseases.

She highlighted, “Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions are fundamental in preventing and responding to cholera epidemics. Safe water supplies, hygienic sanitation, and effective water management are key elements in this effort.

“Increasing access to safe drinking water, improving sanitation and hygiene, and better water management can prevent almost one-tenth of the global disease burden.

“Community access to sanitation, like simple latrines, prevents drinking water contamination from human waste, reducing infections.”

She also revealed that regular handwashing with soap and safe drinking water storage are also high-impact practices.

“Investing in drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and water resource management systems is economically beneficial.

” Each dollar invested yields up to eight dollars in benefits. Safer water could annually prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhoea, 500,000 deaths from malaria, and 860,000 child deaths from malnutrition, and protect 10 million people from serious illnesses like lymphatic filariasis and trachoma”, she pointed out.

Lafoucrier highlighted the devastating effects of cholera on children’s health, noting that repeated outbreaks have a disproportionate impact on young children and vulnerable populations, who face heightened health risks, including severe dehydration and increased mortality rates, with those under the age of five being particularly susceptible.

Lafoucrier Noted, “Educational disruption is yet another critical consequence of cholera outbreaks, as illness and the need to care for sick family members lead to school closures and reduced attendance, hindering children’s learning and development.

” Similarly, post-recovery issues in children can include malnutrition, stunted growth, and weakened immune systems, increasing susceptibility to other diseases.”