A cholera outbreak in Bauchi state, northeast Nigeria, has killed 58 people and infected more than 250, officials said on Friday, triggering the creation of new committees to strengthen emergency response and prevention.
Cholera, which spreads through contaminated food and water, remains common in Nigeria, where many rural communities and urban slums lack reliable access to clean water.
“Bauchi State has recorded not less than 258 new cases and 58 fatalities,” Deputy Governor Auwal Mohammed Jatau said while inaugurating two committees. “These outbreaks are often preventable with timely interventions, coordinated responses, and sustained improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene.”
Jatau said the committees would centralize the response and align long-term prevention with the national cholera control plan and guidance from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
Nigeria has logged more than 11,000 suspected cholera cases and over 400 deaths in the past two years, with children under five accounting for most infections, according to the NCDC.