Cholera Suspected In Badagry Deaths – Officials

The Medical Officer of Health, Badagry West Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, Dr Dorcas Oladunjoye, said cholera is suspected in deaths reported in the Zongo community, a Hausa/Fulani settlement in Badagry.

Oladunjoye clarified this in an interview with the newsmen in Badagry on Thursday.

The Badagry area was in panic over multiple deaths that were attributed to the alleged consumption of poisonous rice seized from smugglers and distributed by the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command.

The rumour alleged that rice seized and distributed by the Command had been released without the knowledge of its owner, who allegedly invoked “traditional powers” in retaliation for the seizure.

The Public Relations Officer of Seme Command, CSC Isah Sulaiman, in a statement on Sunday, denied the allegation, describing it as “entirely false, misleading, and unfounded”, noting that no such incident occurred within its Area of Responsibility (AoR) or among its personnel.

The Command categorically denied any such incident, dismissing it as a fabrication designed to incite fear and damage the reputation of security agencies.

Meanwhile, Oladunjoye, during the interview, said that a case of suspected cholera outbreak was discovered in one healthcare centre in Ajara, Badagry, two weeks ago, when a patient was brought from a community in Seme, stooling and vomiting.

Quoting Oladunjoye, “We swung into action when it was further confirmed that they had been experiencing the sickness for many days, which resulted in many deaths in the area. It was even the patient who made us know that people had been stooling and vomiting in that community for some days.

“We went into the community with some of our staff and took permission from their leader (Seriki) to investigate the problems. We discovered that many of the residents are suffering from the suspected disease, so we contacted the Lagos State Ministry of Health and relevant agencies. We are aware of a suspected cholera outbreak in the Zongo community. There is absolutely no evidence of poisonous rice being the cause of the deaths.”

According to Oladunjoye, teams from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Primary Health Care Board, and Health District had visited the affected community.

She stated that food and water samples had been collected and sent for laboratory analysis, but the results are still pending. She further pointed out that the Zongo community’s living conditions are alarmingly unsanitary, and their primary sources of water are contaminated.

Also speaking, the Medical Health Laboratory Officer with Badagry-West LCDA, Mr Sao Temitope, said he personally observed the same symptoms in the victims. He added that there’s no doubt that they are dealing with something waterborne, possibly cholera.

According to him, the community is severely dirty, there is an absence of safe water, and there is a clear public health crisis. He further confirmed that the council chairman, Joseph Gbenu, had already initiated a rapid response.

Temitope also said that plans are underway to launch a full-scale public health sensitisation campaign across the community. He added that health educators will teach residents how to purify their water, practice better sanitation, and avoid food contamination.

Cholera Suspected In Badagry Deaths – Officials is first published on The Whistler Newspaper