Over 40 dead in massive Nigeria cholera emergency

A severe cholera outbreak has claimed more than 40 lives and infected over 3,000 people in northeastern Nigeria, triggering a major public health emergency as local hospitals buckle under the sudden surge of patients.

The outbreak has torn through 139 communities across seven local government areas in Borno State, with the capital city of Maiduguri and the neighboring Jere district serving as the primary epicenters. According to health officials, Maiduguri alone has recorded over 2,000 cases, while Jere has seen upwards of 1,000 infections. The situation is escalating rapidly, with authorities reporting more than 100 new cases over a single 24-hour window, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency. 

Local medical centers are completely overwhelmed. At the Brigadier-Generals Abba Kyari General Hospital in Nganaram, health workers describe a critical scene where dozens of newly arrived patients—predominantly women and children—are being treated simultaneously, forcing some to lie on the facility floors due to a severe shortage of available beds.

Health experts have traced the rapid spread to unsafe drinking water, poor public sanitation, and heavily congested living environments. The risk is especially pronounced within the region's densely populated camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In response, the Borno State government has stepped up emergency intervention efforts. Authorities are distributing chlorine water-purification tablets, disinfectants, and spraying gear to the hardest-hit communities, while ensuring that medical supplies and drugs are delivered to treatment centers so patients can receive medical care completely free of charge. Public health teams have also teamed up with traditional local institutions to run aggressive door-to-door hygiene awareness campaigns, working to combat an undercurrent of reluctance among some residents to seek formal hospital care.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada