Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris has said that the federal government may declare a state of emergency if the cholera outbreak exceeds manageable levels.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Idris made this known on Wednesday while speaking at Adetokunbo Alakija Memorial Travel Medicine Lecture at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event was organised by Nigerian Society of Travel Medicine (NSTM).
The NCDC DG said based on data to be obtained from partners in the assessment, “if they look at the data and they decide the situation has gone beyond a particular threshold, then we call it an emergency situation.”
Dr. Idris emphasized that cholera outbreaks are linked to a lack of access to clean water, inadequate environmental sanitation, and poor personal hygiene.
He called on the government to prioritize the provision of clean water and sanitary facilities, particularly in slum areas plagued by poverty and poor drainage.
“A lot of these diseases occur in slum areas where there is poverty, poor drainage, po or personal hygiene, so these are the issues. The government should play its role and the people theirs.
“The government is putting priority on healthcare, governance, leadership, service delivery, supply chain issues and health security.
“Health is everybody’s business. A change of behaviour is required because prevention is better than cure.
He also highlighted the need for resources to identify the causes of diseases, monitor their spread, and implement control measures.
“What we need to do requires resources we don’t have. We need to discover what is causing these diseases, monitor how it spreads and how to curb it”, he said.
Tope Adeniyi, Managing Director of Axa Mansard Health Limited, advised travelers to invest in health insurance to ensure protection during health emergencies.
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