By Awe Deborah
Cholera is a bacterial disease cause by “vibro choleree” which affects the small intestine and Causes diarrhea and vomiting which of left untreated can lead to severe dehydration and even cause death within hours.
As Kids the where always told to Keep a good hygiene and not eat Contaminated food or drink contaminated water, technically much emphasis were not made on the fact that cholera kills. And now that you are aware of it be sure to educate the younger generation and even other adults about the fact that cholera is a deadly disease.
The Cholera disease became quit popular during the year 2014 to 2016/2017 after which We didn’t hear about it again until the year 2024. According to punch Newspaper on the 18th of June 2024, there is fear for Children resuming from the mid-term and sallah holiday on wednesday, and these are fears that school children may be at high risk of Contracting Cholera
Public health experts Noted that the disease Which broke across the Country last Week Could spread very fast, If Preventive measure are not taken quickly, the Chief of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Lagos field Office Celine Lafoucrier has called for extensive measures to protect school children noting that concerned efforts must be made to prevent any disruption in the school academic calendar over the spread of the disease.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had recently warned the public against the increasing trend of cholera cases as the rainy season intensifies.
The (NCDC) reports also stated that from January 1st to June 11th, over 1,141 suspected and over 65 confirmed cases of cholera, resulting in over 30 deaths, had been reported from 96 local governments in 30 states, it was also noted that 10 states contributing to 90% of the burden of the current cholera outbreak include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Kastina, Imo, Nasarawa, and lagos state.
Explaining the urgency in the need to prevent this disease outbreak in schools Lafoucrier noted that most children faced substantial health risks particularly those under five years of age who are prone to severe dehydration and higher mortality rates also why it’s wise to curb the issue of this disease now before it becomes a pandemic.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHOLERA
This disease is a water borne disease and as it is said that water is life, the government should not only make efforts at stopping the disease but also to provide healthy water for the people.
While discussing with some women in my neighborhood some women were saying the government should just provide vaccine and everything is solved, i had to quickly correct her that only the vaccine can not solve the problem not until we begin to take preventive measures by ourselves thats only when these vaccine can work.
I am emphasizing mainly on this because of our children who most times do not have choice to what they consume that is why we parent should be extra careful about what we feed them. This said disease is a communicable disease, as one person infected can affect tones of others through contaminated food and water.
Public health experts has therefore come up with some basic prevention steps that can be of help to both adults and children .
HOW TO PREVENT CHOLERA
1: Be sure to drink and use safe water
~Use bottled water to brush your teeth, wash and prepare food, and to make ice and beverages.
~If bottled water is not available make sure to only use water that has been properly boiled, chlorinated filtered using something that can remove bacteria.
~ make sure to use only bottled water with unbroken seal.
2: Wash Your hands Often with Soap And Safe water
When do you wash your hands?
*Before, during and after preparing food
*Before and after eating feeding your children
*After using the toilet
*After taking Care of Someone Who is sick with diarrhea
3: Use Toilets
*use toilets or safely manage, Sanitation facilities to get rid of feces (poop), this includes disposal of Children POOP
* Wash your hands with soap and safe water after going to the bathroom/toilet and for People Who doesn’t have access to toilet facilities
* Poop at-least 30 meters (48 feet) away from any body of water (Including Wells) and then bury your poop
* Dispose of plastic bags containing Poop in latrins or Collection points if available or bury it in the ground
* Do not put plastic bags in Chemical toilets.
4: Boil It, Cook it, Peel it Or Leave it
Cook-food Well, keep it covered , eat it hot and Peel fruit and Vegetables
*Eat Food that have been thoroughly Cooked and still hot and steaming, be sure to cook seafood especially Shellfish until it is very hot all the way through
* Avoid raw Vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled
5: Clean Up Safely
Clean Food Preparation areas and kitchen wares with Soap and treated Water and let it dry Completely before reuse
*Bath and wash cloths or diapers 30 meters (100ft) away from drinking Water Sources .
*Clean and disinfect toilet and surfaces Contaminated with poop Clean the Surface With Soap Solution to remove solids, then disinfect using a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water.
When you finish Cleaning Safely disposed of Soapy water dirty rags, Wash hands again with soap and safe water after cleaning and disinfecting.
CONCLUSION
Make sure to take any person showing any of the symptoms of this disease to the nearest health care center.
Following these Simple steps greatly reduces your risk getting Cholera In areas where Cholera is spread.
