Cholera: 274 new cases hit Borno State, Nigeria in 24 hours

At least 274 new suspected cholera cases have been recorded in Borno State in 24 hours, bringing the total number of suspected infections to 4,204 across seven local government areas.

Health authorities also confirmed that 39 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began.

The Incident Manager of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Jacob Thlizer, disclosed this on Tuesday during a sensitisation meeting on preventive measures and case management of acute watery diarrhoea for stakeholders across 27 local government areas in Maiduguri.

He said the new cases were reported across 36 wards in the affected areas within a single day.

“In the last 24 hours, 274 new suspected cases were recorded, while the total line-listed suspected cases stand at 4,204 from 36 wards in seven local government areas. In total, we now have 39 deaths,” Thlizer said.

He listed the affected local government areas as Jere, Bama, Kaga, Mafa, Kwaya Kusar, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Konduga, Monguno, Magumeri, and Ngala, with varying case loads across each area.

Thlizer said the state government had intensified response measures, including activation of the Incident Management System, coordination with health partners, public awareness campaigns in hotspot communities, and procurement of essential medical supplies.

He added that treatment and isolation efforts had been scaled up to contain the outbreak.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Shettima Muhammad, said dedicated treatment facilities had been established, including an Emergency and Infectious Disease Unit in Njimtilo and a cholera treatment camp at Ngarannam with over 1,000-bed capacity.

He said Governor Babagana Zulum had approved the deployment of drugs and medical consumables to treatment centres across the state.

Residents were urged to maintain strict hygiene practices and report symptoms early to health facilities.

Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Bukar Tijani, assured that the government was intensifying support to health institutions to curb the spread of the disease.

“In the last three or four days, a lot of efforts have been made, and this sensitisation is also a major step.”

“If there are any gaps anywhere, please let us know so that we can address them,” he said.

As the outbreak worsens in Borno State, the Benue State Government has said there is no outbreak of cholera in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Paul Ogwuche, responding to questions from The PUNCH, said: “For this year, we are yet to record any case of cholera, although we’re just entering into the season of cholera.”

Benue State has long been regarded as one of Nigeria’s cholera-prone states due to a combination of environmental, infrastructural and public health challenges that make outbreaks both recurrent and difficult to contain.

The state, traversed by several rivers, including the Benue River and its tributaries, also becomes a major transmission channel during contamination events, particularly in flood-prone communities.

This pattern has contributed to seasonal spikes in acute watery diarrhoea and cholera cases in previous years.