Dozens die in cholera outbreak in northern Nigeria

An outbreak of cholera in Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria has killed dozens of people with scores admitted in hospitals, officials said on Friday.

The first cases were reported more than a week ago in the remote villages of Makera, Sanna, Salo and Marinai in Talata-Mafara local council area. Alhassan Abubakar, an official of the General Hospital, Talata-Mafara said at least 40 people had so far died with about 54 people receiving treatment in the hospital.

"Most of the dead died on their way to hospital," he told IRIN. The worst hit villages, he added, were a long way from the nearest hospitals.

Health workers had been dispatched with drugs and other vital supplies to the affected areas after reports of the epidemic reached the local council authorities, Abubakar Aliyu Maradun, a local government official said.

Cholera, according to the World Health Organisation is "an acute intestinal infection caused by the bacterium vibrio cholerae". After a short incubation period of between one and five days, the patient suffers severe diarrhoea and vomiting, with consequent dehydration. Without early treatment, it can lead to death.

The infection is usually associated with poor hygiene and drinking of contaminated water.

The majority of the people in the affected region depend on rivers and streams for their drinking water. The disease tends to increase at the peak of the rainy season as water flows downstream carrying many impurities, health officials said.