Cholera Outbreak in Nigeria’s Zamfara State Claims Eight Lives
A cholera outbreak has struck 11 rural communities in Bukkuyum district, Zamfara state, northwest Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of at least eight individuals and leaving over 200 infected, according to local officials and residents, reports 24brussels.
The hardest-hit areas include Nasarawa-Burkullu, Gurusu, and Adabka, where a lack of functioning clinics has forced villagers to care for the sick at home. “We have over 21 patients admitted, and three died after delays reaching Nasarawa General Hospital,” stated Muhammad Jibci, village head of Gurusu.
Ya’u Umar, another resident, reported 53 cases in his village, highlighting the dire conditions: “We don’t have medicine or drips. Bandits prevent us from going to the city.” Insecurity in Zamfara has escalated as armed groups continue to abduct villagers and extort farmers, significantly disrupting travel, agriculture, and access to medical care, thereby exacerbating the public health crisis.
Federal lawmaker Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi has urged the state government and international NGOs to deploy emergency response teams and establish cholera treatment centers, warning that “any delay will cost more lives, especially among women and children.”
As of Thursday, Zamfara’s health authorities had not issued an official statement on the outbreak, raising concerns regarding the responsiveness and readiness of healthcare measures in the state.
