The Adamawa state government has confirmed the outbreak of cholera, with 12 persons dead.
The state Commissioner for Health, Felix Tangwami, in a statement in Yola on Sunday, September 22, said the dead were among 30 people who tested positive out of 50 samples of suspected cases.
The commissioner stated: “On behalf of the state governor, I want to inform you all that we have received the results of samples sent to NCDC for confirmation. It’s confirmed that what we are dealing with is acute watery diarrhoea or cholera.
“Unfortunately, out of the 50 samples sent to the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Abuja, 30 samples returned positive for cholera, six came back negative, two were still ongoing, and 12 were still pending in isolation.
The commissioner who had last week dismissed stories about a cholera outbreak in the state, added, “With these results, therefore, I want to confirm to the public that there is an outbreak of cholera in Adamawa.”
He advised the people to be cautious of their movements, interactions, personal hygiene, and the source of water they drink.
“The public is assured that the government through its health workers is doing everything possible by the grace of God to contain the situation as it has done in the past with other similar outbreaks.
“We ask that people should continue to pray for us as we face this monster. They should remain calm and cooperate with health workers as they go around to sensitize and give professional advice,” the commissioner stated.