by Nurat Uthman
The Nigerian Correctional Service says custodial centres nationwide are free of cholera.
It said the routine hygienic measures put in place in the correctional centres had helped to keep cholera out.
The NCoS spokesman, Abubakar Umar, spoke to journalists on Wednesday as the country battles to contain a recent surge in cholera cases across 31 states.
On Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the country had recorded 1,528 suspected cases of cholera and 53 deaths in 31 states across 107 Local Government Areas.
Last Tuesday, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the International Organisation for Migration held an emergency meeting in Lagos over the cholera outbreak in the country.
Cholera, a severe gastrointestinal disease caused by the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, spreads through contaminated water and food. It thrives in unhygienic and overcrowded environments, raising concerns about the safety of inmates in the NCoS custodial facilities.
The spokesman, however, said no cholera cases had been reported in the correctional facilities across the country.
