Reps Seek Public Enlightenment to Tackle Cholera Outbreak
The House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 2, resolved to work with all relevant agencies in the health sector to investigate the root course of the recent cholera outbreak in the country with a view to proffering solutions to it.
The House also asked the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to work with the various health institutions to carry out a rigorous public orientation, enlightenment, and education of the citizenry on the need to maintain personal hygiene at all times.
Adopting a motion of urgent public importance brought to the floor of the House by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, the House urged the federal and respective state governments to urgently put in place measures to check the outbreak of cholera in the country effectively.
Chinda expressed serious concern about the recent outbreak of cholera in Lagos State as well as several other parts of the country
According to him, the latest outbreak of the disease in the country, which has been reported and confirmed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), raises serious public health concerns for the government and the citizenry alike.
Read Also:
He said the outbreak of the disease which was first widely reported in Lagos state is now reported to have spread to other parts of the country, with several casualties and deaths reported.
He said further that health is of utmost importance and one of the key areas that the Government should prioritise to enhance the well-being and overall welfare of the people.
He said: “According to the NCDC, while the latest outbreak of the disease continues have been reported in Lagos and 31 other States across the country, including Abia, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Katsina, and Zamfara States, amongst others.
“The public and personal health of teeming Nigerians largely due to lack of access to clean water, poor sanitation, poor personal hygiene etc.”
He expressed concern about the rapid rate at which the disease has spread across Lagos and several other parts of the country within a short time.
According to him, this is especially worrisome, given reports that the government has run out of vaccines to effectively tackle the disease, with the death toll continuing to escalate in those states.
He said there is an urgent need for quick action and intervention by the federal and respective state governments to curb the further spread of the disease across the country.
He said that unless urgent and proactive steps/measures are immediately adopted, the disease would spread to several other places and possibly escalate than imagined. This would not be good for the health of the citizenry and the country at large.
