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The Federal Government has called on states and local governments to scale-up environmental health surveillance in places where food and drinks are sold nationwide.
The Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Salako, who gave the directive in a statement on Monday in Abuja, added that the places include markets, garages, schools, restaurants, stadia, religious and sporting events venues.
Salako stressed that the measures would help avert further spread and transmission of cholera, as well as aid in the prevention and control of the disease.
He also urged all Commissioners for Environment and the Local Government Chairpersons to support environmental health officers across the country to step up sanitation and hygiene activities through enhanced community-led total sanitation.
According to him, it is also to strengthen collaboration with the health authorities and other stakeholders in line with the one health approach of the federal government.
The minister said that arrangements had been made to support most affected states with chlorine solution or tablets, water and food testing resources to avert further transmission across the country.
Salako noted that a recent situation report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, indicated a total number of 1,159 suspected cases, 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths across 30 States.
He identified the most affected states contributing 90 per cent of the total cases to include Bayelsa, Lagos, Zamfara, Abia, Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Delta and Katsina
“The ministry has been actively involved through the Department of Pollution Control and Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, EHCON, in activities to curtail further transmission of the deadly disease.
“The ministry has been involved through water and food testing to identify sources of infection, environmental sanitation campaigns and household water chlorination,” he said.
