The Oyo State government, on Saturday, issued an health alert over suspected cases of cholera outbreak in the state.
It therefore called for more vigilance and the adoption of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of a potential cholera outbreak in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, gave the charge during her visit to a private hospital in Ibadan where two suspected cholera cases were receiving treatment.
As contained in release by the state Commissioner for information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the health commissioner said Cholera is a bacterial infection spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by the faeces of an infected person.
Dr Ajetunmobi stated that cholera is highly infectious and can cause severe acute watery diarrhea with severe dehydration, adding that it may be associated with nausea, profuse vomiting and fever.
The commissioner described the two suspected cases in Ibadan, which had been tracked down to a private facility in the state, as male workers at a construction site in Lekki Peninsula, Lagos State.
She however said there is no cause for alarm as she assured that the state Ministry of Health and other partners are on top of the situation.
Dr. Ajetunmobi therefore reiterated the response efforts of the government at ensuring that the state does not record casualties from the cholera outbreak from Lagos State.
According to her, the response efforts included the deployment of local government area DSNO, promotional jingles in English and Yoruba running in different media houses, immediate inauguration of the Cholera Technical Working Group, putting IDC Olodo into active mode for isolation and management.
Others efforts, she said, included reaching out to all surveillance rangers at the LGA level to intensify surveillance activities, re-posting of cholera case definition on the platform of community informants for updates, awareness and sensitisation of the gatekeepers and other well-established community structures.
The commissioner appealed to all to be safety-conscious and always drink water only from clean sources, practice good personal hand hygiene by frequently washing hands with soap and water.
She maintained that anyone with the symptoms mentioned above should not partake in self-medication but present themselves at the nearest healthcare facility immediately.
