3rd June, 2018
Massive chlorination of infected water points in Mubi town of Adamawa has commenced in earnest to contain the outbreak of cholera in the area, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Fatima Atiku, says.
The outbreak which started early in May has affected 909 people and caused 16 deaths.
Fatima Atiku spoke on efforts to contain the epidemic in Yola on Sunday.
She said apart from the chlorination of identified infected water points by 55 chlorinators, 55 house to house hygiene promoters had been deployed to distribute water taps and Aqua tablets to households.
Atiku also said that Solitaire, an international organisation, with mandate to disinfect and spray contaminated areas, would be in Mubi for two weeks to work.
The commissioner attributed the outbreak to contaminated water.
She said borehole owners and water vendors in the town had been mobilised with the support of the emir to ensure that no untreated water was sold to consumers.
“Security agencies were also involved to ensure commercial borehole owners and water vendors complied with the chlorination exercise before selling to consumers.”
Atiku said the fatality rate of the outbreak had reduced drastically from 17 per cent to 1.8 per cent.
She said the efforts of the state Emergency Operation Centre in coordinating the decisions of the government and development partners, such as WHO, UNICEF, had been effective in dealing with the crisis.
Atiku commended volunteers, including staff of Mubi General Hospital designated as the Cholera Treatment Centre, for resuming work during the medical workers’ strike to join in attending to patients during the crisis.
The commissioner said that efforts were being made to rehabilitate the water treatment plant in Mubi to tackle the problem of water in Mubi town which had lasted for many years.
She said the state government last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the rehabilitation of the Greater Mubi Water Project in collaboration with EU and UNICEF.
Some 90 per cent of residents of Mubi, the second most populous town in Adamawa, rely on water supply from vendors who patronise untreated boreholes meant for irrigation along River Yedzaram.