Cholera: Nigeria Moving from Emergency Response to Building Long-term Resilience -- CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Nigeria is transitioning from short-term cholera outbreak responses to establishing robust, long-term resilience against cholera and other diseases.

Dr. Muhammad Saleh, a senior Emergency Management Specialist at the U.S. CDC, credited this progress to the strong partnership between Nigeria and the CDC. 

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, Saleh highlighted that the collaboration emphasizes enhancing surveillance systems, improving laboratory capabilities, and implementing community-based strategies to curb recurring outbreaks.

“Cholera has been a persistent challenge in Nigeria, but we are now going beyond reactive response.

“We are building systems that can withstand future outbreaks, from infection prevention and control to rapid community detection and treatment,” he said.

Saleh said, one major intervention was the widespread distribution of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) in high-burden states.

He added that the intervention allowed frontline health workers to quickly detect suspected cholera cases and provide life-saving care.

On laboratory strengthening, he said the U.S. CDC has worked with Nigerian authorities to equip testing facilities and train health workers to detect not just cholera, but also other priority diseases such as Lassa fever and meningitis.

He noted that Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures have been reinforced through the training of disease experts and community health workers.

“So far, 2,400 community volunteers have been trained across the FCT, Sokoto, Ebonyi, and Ondo states.

“These volunteers are the first line of defence. They spot symptoms early, alert health facilities, and educate their neighbours on safe practices like hand-washing and proper sanitation,” he said.

To better allocate resources, the expert said that the CDC and the Nigerian government had developed a mapping tool that identifies cholera “hotspots” across the country.

“The tool helps determine which states and communities to prioritise during an outbreak,” he said.

Saleh hailed the efforts of the Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs), established in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and the governments who provided the physical infrastructure.

According to him, U.S. CDC supported training in public health emergency management, enabling states to better coordinate outbreak response and use data for informed decision-making.

He stressed that the progress made so far reflected the importance of collaboration.

“Not to say we have achieved everything, but we are far better than before. Our aim is long-term resilience.

“Everybody has a role, government, partners, communities, and families. The more we sustain these efforts, the more resilient Nigeria becomes,” he said.

NAN reports that Cholera is a waterborne disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, leading to sudden watery diarrhoea and dehydration.

It spreads through contaminated food or water, but preventable with good sanitation and treatable with oral rehydration. 

NAN