Cholera outbreak in Kwara- 17 confirmed dead

Seventeen people have been confirmed dead in 1,617 reported suspected cases as a cholera outbreak continues to ravage Kwara State in North-central Nigeria. The figures were made known by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in its weekly epidemiological report for Week 26 released on Tuesday.

The agency further stated that the suspected cases were reported as at the end July 9 with 13 laboratory samples confirming the disease and a case fatality rate of 1.1 percent recorded. According to the agency,children under the age of five remain the most affected with 460, (28.4 percent) of the cases reported with the male population accounting for 51.6 percent of the cases.

According to the health agency, 818, (50.5 percent) of the suspected cases were reported from Ilorin West, the percentage remaining constant from the previous week.With the continued disease spread and increasing death toll in the state, NCDC has enjoined Nigerians to maintain hygienic environmental practices in order to reduce the spread of the disease.