Oluwatobi Adu 
GOMBE, Nigeria – Gombe State has treated and discharged 74 cholera patients following an outbreak in Kedo village, Billiri Local Government Area, with the government reporting no patients currently on admission.
The Commissioner for Health, Adamu Danladi, disclosed the figures at a news conference in Gombe on Wednesday, saying the government had strengthened its response following an outbreak that claimed two lives on 4 October. Danladi said the state deployed a Rapid Response Team to support local health officials in investigating the outbreak and providing treatment for suspected cases.
The affected patients received free treatment at the Primary Health Care facility in Sheila as part of efforts to ensure access to medical care and manage the outbreak. “So far, 74 persons have been treated and discharged, and nobody is currently on admission,” he said.
The government has also urged residents to maintain proper food, personal and environmental hygiene to reduce their exposure to cholera. Danladi advised anyone experiencing symptoms consistent with cholera to report immediately to the nearest health facility, assuring residents that treatment at the designated facility was free.
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that can cause severe dehydration and death if patients do not receive prompt treatment. It is commonly transmitted through food or water contaminated with the bacterium responsible for the infection.
Safe drinking water, proper sanitation, handwashing and prompt medical care are important measures for preventing and managing outbreaks. The commissioner assured residents that the state government was taking necessary steps to protect the population against cholera and other disease outbreaks.
Although the 74 patients have been discharged and no one remains on admission, the government has not declared the outbreak over in the information provided.
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Mirian Gom 
