WHO Intervenes as Cholera Outbreak Strikes Kirikiri Prison in Lagos

Following the cholera outbreak at Kirikiri prison, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has intervened by donating pharmaceutical products to aid treatment and prevent further spread. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, provided an update on the outbreak, noting that the state has supplied the prison with intravenous fluids, infection prevention supplies, and other health consumables.

Abayomi stated, “The WHO has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals to support the prison health facilities, benefiting about 3,200 inmates if required. Immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected, and ongoing inspections are being conducted at other correctional facilities in the state.”

The commissioner revealed that the recent cholera outbreak in Lagos originated from unregulated street beverages and contaminated water supplies, identified two weeks ago as the primary sources. He reported a significant improvement in daily cholera cases since the initial spike, with evidence of ongoing low-grade community transmission and a few cases still presenting at hospitals. No new deaths attributable to cholera have been reported in the past 72 hours.

The state government is utilizing its interagency “One Health” approach, collaborating with the Lagos Water Corporation and sanitation agencies to implement environmental health measures. These include widespread sanitation efforts, inspection and disinfection of boreholes, provision of safe drinking water to affected local governments, and enforcement of stricter regulations on local beverage manufacturers. The government will also implement higher sanitary and regulatory standards for eateries, food handlers, beverage manufacturers, and groundwater to curb the burden of food and water-borne diseases in Lagos.