HAND WASHING, PROPER FOOD HYGIENE KEY TO PREVENTING CHOLERA-KNCDC 14-10-24
By Sadiq Aminu Frequent washing of hands, good environmental sanitation, through washing of fruits, vegetables and good storage of food has been identified as major ways of preventing cholera.
The coordinator Kano state center for disease control KNCDC Associate Professor Muhammad Adam Abbas disclosed during an exclusive interview with Radio Nigeria.
According to him, cholera is a disease of poor sanitary condition where personal and food hygiene can help in addressing the spread and contamination.
He stressed that, during the rainy season, running water washes off dirt and faeces from surfaces into low-line wells, which can only be prevented through the provision of embankments and covers.
“We advise people to have parapet embankments around their wells to avoid cholera”
Abbas pointed out that cholera is characterized by profuse diarrhoea and vomiting, which can cause rapid loss of water, leading to dehydration, shock and death.
“It is caused by vibrio cholera which is usually found in faeces so any food water or surface that is contaminated by the bacteria can lead to cholera infection”
The coordinator hinted that the Kano state government under the leadership of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has put adequate measures in place to curtail the disease through chlorination of water sources across communities that have poor sanitation as well as those affected by cholera.
“Areas where there’s an outbreak of cholera are cordoned and well chlorinated to avoid the spread of the disease”
Recall that last week the Kano state commissioner of health Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf confirmed the outbreak of the cholera across 28 local government areas in the state where 45 lives were lost.