To curb the spread of cholera, the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) has advised Nigerians to avoid eating at uncertified restaurants and bukas.
This call to action was made by the Registrar of Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, Yakubu Mohammed Baba, during a press briefing with journalists in Abuja.
Baba emphasized that about 80 percent of food and water samples collected by environmental practitioners tested positive for infectious agents.
He underscored the need for food vendors to undergo compulsory medical screening to ensure they are healthy before handling food preparations.
"Food vendors must go for compulsory medical screening to make sure they are healthy before being allowed to handle any other preparation," Baba stated.
"Any person involved in the preparation, serving, or cooking of food must go through this requirement, and the Council is ready to enforce it under the Environmental Health Authority."
He also tasked all environmental health authorities to create and manage isolation centers and establish disinfection points in various zones.
He stressed the importance of certification by local government health authorities for all restaurants to ensure their facilities are fit for providing food for human consumption.
Baba highlighted the role of the Environmental Health Council in addressing cholera outbreaks.
"We are quite aware that the Council that regulates environmental health is a key stakeholder in providing pharmaceutical intervention towards cholera outbreak," he said.
"We are one of the key pillars of providing environmental health prevention as far as the cholera outbreak is concerned."
He expressed condolences to those affected by the outbreak and stressed the environmental basis of cholera, which often occurs in areas with low environmental quality standards.
Baba encouraged all health facilities to implement isolation camps and continuous disinfection protocols to prevent the spread of the disease.
"Patients and caregivers must also take necessary universal precautions because of the infectious nature of the disease. We don’t want to lose any of our health personnel because of negligence," Baba added.
He urged healthcare workers to use necessary protective equipment and adopt a five-level disinfection protocol after visiting patients. Baba also announced initiatives to enhance environmental health surveillance.
"The State Minister of Environment took a memo to the Federal Executive Council on the need to strengthen environmental health surveillance in the 31 states of the Federation and activate the Environmental Health Emergency Volunteer Corps to handle environmental health emergencies," he said.
He reported that over 200 water and food samples have been collected, with more than 80 percent testing positive. "Our men in the field are creating awareness and ensuring that all water bodies in infected communities are chlorinated to provide safe drinking water," Baba stated.
In conclusion, Baba urged
Nigerians to adopt environmental strategies as the surest way to contain the
cholera outbreak. "Let’s embark on massive hygiene measures in our homes,
schools, and public spaces to break the transmission chain," he added.
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