Jumoke Olasunkanmi
The Cross River commissioner for Health, Dr. Henry Ayuk has confirmed the outbreak of cholera in the state saying three cases were reported in two local government areas.
Ayuk disclosed this in Calabar on Sunday, revealing that one case was identified in Obubura while two cases were found in Biase. He said the state has taken immediate action to halt the spread of cholera in the affected LGAs.
To combat the outbreak, Ayuk explained that an Emergency Operation Centre had been activated by his ministry, with the State Epidemiologist, Dr. Blessing Ekpenyong, appointed as Incident Manager to coordinate the process.
He said: “Response commodities, including drugs donated by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), are being put in place by the Surveillance Unit and Logistic Management Coordinating Unit of the state Ministry of Health would be sent to the affected wards.
“The LGA’s Rapid Response Team has already been deployed to affected wards for case investigation and line listing of reported cases, to contain the spread of the disease.”.
In a plea to the public, Ayuk urged strict adherence to preventive measures, cautioning against consuming water indiscriminately, consuming unripe fruits, and eating contaminated foods.
