Borno State has recorded 39 deaths within 24 hours following a worsening cholera outbreak, with 272 new cases confirmed across 36 wards in eight local government areas.
The Incident Manager of the Public Emergency Operations Centre, Jacob Audu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Maiduguri, noting that 138 communities across the affected councils are currently battling the disease.
Audu urged residents to strictly observe hygiene and other preventive measures to curb further spread of the infection, adding that government response efforts had been intensified.
Speaking separately, the Permanent Secretary of the Borno State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Shettima Maina, said the state government had activated two emergency response centres to manage and treat affected patients across the impacted areas.
Although Maina described the illness as acute watery diarrhoea and did not directly confirm it as cholera, he assured residents that containment measures were already in place to prevent further spread.
He also stated that Governor Babagana Zulum had released funds, drugs, and other medical supplies to health facilities, ensuring that treatment for affected persons would be provided free of charge.
According to him, public health campaigns and sensitisation programmes have been intensified across communities and among local government stakeholders to improve awareness and disease control.
“We are currently conducting sensitisation campaigns and stakeholder meetings on acute watery diarrhoea and its management for local government chairmen and other stakeholders across the state,” Maina said.
Health officials further revealed that women aged 21 to 50 are the most affected group, while Old Maiduguri Ward in Maiduguri has recorded the highest number of cases so far.
