ReliefWeb

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

An unseasonal outbreak of cholera since the first few weeks of 2014 is posing a serious risk to Nigeria with hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Cholera is endemic in Nigeria with several major outbreaks in the last years, with 2010 epidemic being the largest with 41,787 cases including 1,716 deaths in 18 of the 37 States of the country.

The first cases of cholera in Bauchi State in 2014 were reported in early January. After that the number of cases has increased week by week. As of week 13, 8,750 cases have been reported in the State in 11 of the 20 areas, with about 8,500 in Bauchi town alone.

The cholera outbreak situation is not restricted to Bauchi state alone. Nationwide, the last official numbers from week 13, 2014 shows a total number of 12, 223 cases with 178 deaths in 13 States. The surge of the cholera outbreak is largely the result of limited access to safe drinking water (both the quality and quantity is poor), insufficient hygiene conditions, and poor sanitation.

As the country is now entering the rainy season there is reason for concern for further outbreaks and spread. The ongoing cholera outbreak in Touboro district in the Northern Region of Cameroon is also traced back to Bauchi State and there is a fear that cholera will now spread to all the countries in the Lake Chad area like in the major outbreak in 2010. This was discussed in recent meetings held in Niger and consideration has been given to cross-border action across four countries.

Whilst the majority of the cases are being treated by Médecins Sans Frontières, there is a need to support emerging community needs. It is expected that the intervention of the Nigeria Red Cross will help to minimize the risk of infection and assist to increase preparedness for expected outbreaks in the coming months of the rainy season.