The Babajide Sanwó-Olú-led Government of Lagos State said unregistered tiger nuts drink is a primary cause of the current outbreak of Cholera experienced across the state.
This was according to Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health during an interview with The PUNCH newspapers.
“We carried out a survey and found that the common denominator, which was one of the deadly factors, was a tiger nut drink. People who came to the hospitals all identified that they had drunk tiger nut drink,” she said when asked to name specific factors that contributed to the increased prevalence of cholera.
“We couldn’t just take their word for it, so we had to take that drink and test it to see what was in it. We immediately sent people out to look for those selling it so we could take a sample.
“We found empty bottles with a name on them, but we discovered that it wasn’t even registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the regulatory body that ensures the safety of consumables,” she added.
“From our investigations, we realised that the beverages were not registered, so the producers hadn’t gone through the processes to ensure that what they were producing was safe for the public to consume. We traced it to that.
“The bottom line is that we took stool samples because different things cause diarrhoea. It could be anything else. We found out that it was confirmed cholera, specifically Vibrio cholera subtype 01, which is the most infectious and aggressive type.
According to her, the increase in the rate of Cholera in Lagos is also linked to environmental conditions.
“There are areas lacking adequate clean water, relying instead on wells. Open defecation is also prevalent. When it rains, these factors result in faecal matter contaminating water sources like wells.
“Other contributing factors include flooding when canals overflow and poor sanitation practices.”
She revealed that collaboration with international bodies is ongoing to prevent further escalation of the outbreak.
“Many people have been mobilised, and we’re working with numerous partners. UNICEF has been fantastic. They excel in providing information. The Red Cross has also been extremely helpful. Additionally, WHO consistently monitors the situation to prevent it from escalating into a pandemic, although we are confident it won’t,” she said.
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