The Government of Cross River State has confirmed the narrative by residents of Ekureku community that 20 people have died of cholera in the community.
The Director General of Cross River Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Janet Ekpeyong, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria, also said 30 other people in Ekureku have been hospitalised
Mrs Ekpeyong said the Cross River government has now deployed human and material resources to bring the cholera outbreak under control.
An earlier published by NAN report says residents of the community, which lacks basic amenities like pipe-borne water, said 20 people died of cholera in the 10 villages in the community between Thursday and Saturday.
On Sunday, Mrs Ekpeyong, who expressed sadness over the deaths, said proactive measures have been taken to prevent the further spread of the disease in the affected villages in Ekureku in Abi Local Government Area of the state.
She said the deaths could have been avoided if protocols were followed in the affected villages.
According to her, the state government has deployed a response team together with representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Nigerian Red Cross and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.
She added that “the combined team have all intervened accordingly and helped to save lives and prevent further spread of the disease.
