The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a nationwide health alert as heavy rains and impending floods threaten to unleash outbreaks of cholera, yellow fever, and dengue fever across the country.
The warning follows forecasts from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which identified Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Yobe and several other states as being at high risk of flash flooding this month.
The NCDC has cautioned that the projected rainfall could carry serious public health consequences.
“Floodwaters often contaminate water sources by washing pathogens or germs from soil, animal waste, or overwhelmed sewage systems into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.
“This contamination threatens drinking water and creates the perfect conditions for cholera to spread,” the NCDC’s Director-General, Dr Jide Idris, said.
Between June 23 and 29 alone, suspected cholera infections were reported in 34 states, with Zamfara accounting for 32 per cent of all cases. Other badly affected states include Bayelsa, Adamawa, Delta, Lagos and Rivers.
The NCDC had also confirmed an outbreak of dengue fever in Edo State between June 9 and 13, with laboratory tests confirming a rise in cases. It further reported seven confirmed cases of yellow fever spread across Abia, Anambra, Edo, Ekiti, Lagos and Rivers states.
Though no deaths have been recorded so far, the agency stressed that a single confirmed yellow fever case is classed as an outbreak under national and global health protocols.
Both yellow fever and dengue fever are spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water left behind by floods.
In response, the NCDC has announced that it is collaborating with state governments, health partners and local communities to strengthen disease surveillance, supply emergency treatment kits, deploy rapid response teams and roll out public awareness campaigns.
The agency has urged Nigerians to remain vigilant by practising regular hand washing, maintaining proper sanitation, rinsing fruits and vegetables with clean water, covering water storage containers, clearing stagnant water around homes, and using insecticide-treated nets and repellents.
It also emphasised the importance of keeping routine vaccinations, particularly for yellow fever, up to date.
“We call on all state governments to stay alert and ramp up surveillance to ensure timely detection and response to any of these diseases,” Idris added.
As rainfall continues across the country, health officials warn that swift and coordinated action is critical to avert a wider public health crisis.
