Nigeria: Cholera Epidemic Kills 1
By MISNA
At least 15 people, including nine children, have died in a cholera outbreak in Central Nigeria’s Plateau State.
Local medical sources confirm that the cause is drinking water contamination. The majority of cholera deaths and cases were registered in the villages of Kantam and Filam, in the north of the State.
A Kantam villager, Joseph Wuyep, said that the epidemic broke out last week, but that there had been delays in the intervention of local authorities. “The problem is the water. We drink contaminated water. We have asked for help from the government, so fat without response”.
Cholera epidemics are very common in many parts of Nigeria, where drinking water is hard to find and people often use water from the rivers often contaminated by animals.
Experts also warn that poverty and scarce hygiene are among the main causes of frequent cholera outbreaks. Already last year dozens of people died in a series of outbreaks in various parts of Nigeria.
