EHCON Urges Health Facilities to Establish Isolation Centers for Cholera Management
The Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has called on all health facilities to set up isolation centers or camps to effectively manage cholera cases. According to EHCON registrar, Dr. Yakubu Baba, these centers will be jointly managed by medical professionals and Environmental Health Officers (EHOs).
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Dr. Baba emphasized the importance of putting in place preventive measures to achieve environmental health. These measures include using graduated buckets to collect patient vomitus and diarrhea, which helps measure the level of dehydration. The EHOs are responsible for managing contaminated fecal matter and vomitus, ensuring continuous disinfection.
Dr. Baba stressed the need for healthcare workers to take universal precautions, wear necessary protective equipment, and follow the five-level disinfection protocol. He also encouraged visitors to disinfect themselves before entering or leaving the isolation centers.
The EHCON registrar expressed concern over the high rate of visitation by loved ones, which compromises the infectious nature of the disease. He urged environmental health authorities to establish disinfection points to ensure visitors are disinfected before entering or leaving the centers.
Cholera is an infectious disease caused by consuming food or water contaminated with vibrio cholerae, leading to severe watery diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration, which can be fatal if left untreated.
