Tinubu orders the formation of a cabinet committee to supervise the response to cholera emergencies.
In reaction to the cholera outbreak in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the formation of a cabinet committee to
supervise the emergency operations center run by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
In an interview with State House media in Abuja on Tuesday, Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said
Tinubu had given his approval for the committee’s formation during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
A nationwide multi-sectoral emergency operations center for cholera was activated by the NCDC on Monday.
The organism Vibrio cholerae is what causes cholera, a food and waterborne illness that is contracted by consuming tainted food or water.
The disease is already causing an outbreak in Lagos, and instances are being reported in numerous other states.
According to Pate, the group will be made up of representatives from the following ministries: youth, aviation, water resources, finance, health, and education.
He added that the work of the cabinet committee would supplement state government efforts to curb open defecation,
pointing out that cholera is a developmental problem that calls for a multisectoral response.
According to Pate, “the president directed that a cabinet committee be established to oversee the work being done by the
NCDC-led emergency operation center and to provide resources that will be supplemented by the state government.”
The emergency operation center, which was launched by the NCDC on Monday, is what we are using to address the approximately 31 states in Nigeria that have reported 1,528 cases and 53 fatalities thus far.
“We had a lengthy discussion in the council regarding the current cholera outbreak as well as the recent yellow fever outbreak, which is primarily occurring in Bayelsa state.
We are currently experiencing the seventh pandemic of cholera worldwide. There are about 500,000 cases of cholera worldwide, proving that the disease is not exclusive to Nigeria.
“In 2023, the World Health Organization reported about 700,000 cases of cholera.
“More than 200,000 cases have been reported in five global regions this year.”
