Gombe Confirms Cholera Outbreak, Treats 74 Patients

The Gombe State Government has confirmed a cholera outbreak in Kedo village, Todi Ward, Billiri Local Government Area, after cases of diarrhoea and vomiting reportedly claimed two lives on October 4.

The state Commissioner for Health, Professor Adamu-Danladi Bojude, disclosed this on Wednesday, October 21, during a media briefing in Gombe.

Bojude said 74 patients had been treated and discharged, adding that no patient was on admission at the time of the announcement.

According to him, the government promptly deployed a Rapid Response Team to work with the local government health authorities to investigate the outbreak and provide free treatment to affected residents at the Primary Health Centre in Sheila.

He said the state had recorded seven consecutive days without a new case as of Wednesday, expressing optimism that the outbreak could be declared over by October 24 if no additional infections were reported.

“Today, being October 21, is day seven of zero cases reported. If by day 10, October 24, no case is reported, then this particular outbreak will be declared over,” the commissioner said.

To strengthen its response, the state government activated an Incident Management System at the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate surveillance, case detection and emergency interventions.

Bojude explained that the state had strengthened its cholera prevention measures since 2023 through an annual prevention plan implemented by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency and development partners.

The initiative covers more than 150 identified cholera hotspots across Gombe’s 11 local government areas. However, he cautioned that cases could still emerge in settlements outside the identified hotspots.

The commissioner warned that cholera, a bacterial infection transmitted through contaminated food and water, could become fatal within hours without prompt and appropriate treatment.

He urged residents to maintain proper personal, food and environmental hygiene, use safe drinking water and report suspected cases to the nearest health facility immediately.

Bojude assured residents that treatment for suspected cholera cases would be provided free of charge, urging communities to cooperate with health authorities to prevent further transmission.

The state government said it would continue monitoring the affected community and maintaining its response measures ahead of the October 24 assessment.