A suspected cholera outbreak has swept through the Gwagwa community in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), on Monday, leaving at least five persons dead and several others hospitalized.
According to Daily Trust, three victims, alongside two residents Muhammad Danlami and Abbati Gambo, were buried at the community cemetery on Wednesday.
Patients suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea, and severe dehydration are currently being rushed to Capital, Crown, and Ngozi clinics for emergency intravenous treatments.
According to the report, at Ngozi Clinic, medical personnel confirmed that nine patients are currently on admission, with no report of discharges. One distraught parent, Samson Okoroafor, revealed that three of his children contracted the disease simultaneously, forcing him to keep one child at home to be treated by a nurse due to the medical bills and a lack of bed space.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has launched an official investigation as residents blame water scarcity for the deadly spread. Residents have attributed the outbreak to an acute water crisis that has plagued Gwagwa for over two months. Many families have been forced to rely on commercial water vendors, popularly known as mairuwa, who sell a 20-litre jerrycan for ₦300.
Confirming the development, the FCT Epidemiologist, Dr Lawal Lukman Ademola, stated that health authorities have commenced a rapid assessment of the situation in the affected community.
“We received the alerts too and sent the notification. As I speak to you, I am on my way there to confirm whether the information is actually true or not,” Dr Ademola said.
He urged calm and assured the public that investigations are ongoing, stressing that either the Mandate Secretary or the Director of Public Health will provide an official update to residents within 24 hours.
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