Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated Cholera Technical Working Group (CTWG), as part of proactive measures against potential cholera outbreak in the State.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, made this known in a statement on Tuesday, July 2.
The state government, through the Ministry of Health, set up the group with a mandate to coordinate multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary approach in preventing, detecting and responding to any case of the epidemic within the state.
Inaugurating the committee at the Oyo State Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), Ibadan, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetumobi, stated that the highly contagious food and waterborne disease remain a significant public health threat in Nigeria.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Director of Public Health in the Ministry, Dr. Akintunde Babatunde, said that although the state recently had seven suspected cases, no case of cholera has been confirmed.
She stated that the threat of cholera outbreak in some neighbouring states had made the government to put proactive measures in place.
The health commissioner reiterated that the CTWG would develop and implement a comprehensive cholera preparedness and response plan, strengthen surveillance and early warning, enhance public awareness and community engagement, coordinate provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well facilitate research and the use of evidence-based practices in cholera control.
In their various remarks at the inauguration, CTWG committee, with representatives from the Ministries of Health, Environment, Education, Agriculture, Information, as well as Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, Non-Governmental Organizations and other stakeholders, spoke against various causes of cholera, including contaminated water and poor sanitation.
The state government thereby charged the general public to improve their water sanitation and hygiene practices, and adhere to the standard outlined by health officials across the state.
It added that cholera must not be allowed to surface in the pacesetter state, stressing that all hands must be on deck to combat the bacteria causing disease.
