NDDC intervenes in Rivers’ cholera outbreak

 

Following the recent outbreak of cholera in 14 communities in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has donated drugs and medical supplies for distribution to the health centres in the affected local government area.

Presenting the items to officials of the Rivers State Ministry of Health at the Basic Health Centre in Ebukuma, Andoni local government area, Chief Ephriam Etete-Owoh, the representative of Rivers State on the Governing Board of NDDC, said that the commission had to intervene immediately to save lives.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was concerned about the loss of lives in Andoni communities and has directed that we take care of the sick people urgently,” he said.

Etete-Owoh, who made the presentations on behalf of the NDDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said that the commission would identify appropriate locations where water projects would be sited in the communities to ensure that potable water was provided for the rural dwellers in the affected communities.

Giving details of the drugs and medical kits donated by NDDC, the Head of NDDC Health Unit, Dr. George Uzonwanne, said the medical items were meant to cater to up to 1,000 patients. He said the items included 50 cartons of disinfectants, 2,000 gloves, 500 insecticide-treated nets, 5,000 doses of de-worming tablets, 40 bags of intravenous giving sets, 100 hand sanitizers, 250 cartons of dextrose, among others.

Receiving the medical supplies, the medical officer in charge of Andoni local government area and a representative of the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr. Theophilus Dagogo, thanked the NDDC for coming to the aid of the 14 communities affected by the cholera outbreak. He said that the items would help in alleviating the suffering of those undergoing treatment at the heath centres as well as assist the health teams to check the spread of the disease in the communities.

Dagogo observed that the provision of potable water for the people was posing a big challenge because water in the area had a lot of iron and thus needed to be treated.

“Efforts are being made to address the water problem, but we have many settlements to deal with. So, the challenge is enormous,” he said.

The Ebukuma Community Development Chairman, Mr. Collins Ikwut, commended the NDDC for its quick intervention and appealed for more assistance in equipping the health centres in the area. He also called for urgent action to tackle the water problem in the area.

The outbreak of cholera was reported in Rivers State on January 5. According to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, 20 people died of the disease in Andoni within one month. He said that about 171 cases of the disease had been recorded so far in the state.

Cholera is usually transmitted to humans through contaminated food or water and can kill within a short period.