WHO steps in as cholera outbreak hits Kirikiri prison

The Lagos State has said it is receiving additional support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as it now battles an outbreak of cholera at the Kirikiri prison. A statement released by the Director, of Public Affairs, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, on Sunday, quoted the Lagos State Commissioner for Health,  Akin Abayomi, as saying an outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis caused by Cholera occurred at Kirikiri Medium Security Prison, adding that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures have been implemented with success.

“We were able to supply Kirikiri medium prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention and other health consumables. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals which have been delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies for about 3,200 inmates if required. Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the State,” the Commissioner said.

The Lagos State Government also announced a significant improvement in daily cholera cases from the spike reported two weeks ago. It, however, acknowledged evidence of ongoing low-grade community transmission, because few cases are still presenting to hospitals across the state.

While providing further updates on the cholera outbreak following the “One Health” Inter-governmental agency strategic meeting held over the weekend, Abayomi revealed that although no new cholera-related deaths have been reported in the last 72 hours, the government was intensifying countermeasures to eliminate transmission.

Credit: channelstv.com

The post WHO steps in as cholera outbreak hits Kirikiri prison appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story