8 dead and dozen infected as cholera outbreak hits Northwest Nigeria

A cholera outbreak in the Bukkuyum district of Zamfara state located in northwest Nigeria, has killed eight and affected over 200 people across 11 communities, as limited healthcare access and insecurity exacerbate the crisis, local officials said on Thursday.

Cholera is endemic in Nigeria, where health officials report widespread clean water shortages in rural and urban slums.

The affected rural communities, which include Nasarawa-Burkullu, Gurusu, and Adabka, have been swamped, with many patients being treated at home due to a shortage of primary healthcare facilities.

Muhammad Jibci, village head of Gurusu, told Reuters on the phone, “We have over 21 patients presently admitted, although three died due to delays in reaching Nasarawa General Hospital.”

According to a resident named Ya’u Umar, from the affected communities, “53 people were infected in his village. “We don’t have medicine or drips. Bandits prevent us from going to the city.”

Zamfara is the epicentre of attacks by armed men known as bandits, and escalating violence in recent months has made travel and farming dangerous. Gangs often kidnap locals and travellers for ransom and extort farming villages.

A federal legislator, Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi, has urged the Zamfara government and foreign non-governmental organisations to take immediate action. “Any delay will cost more lives, especially among women and children,” he warned, demanding the deployment of emergency response teams and cholera treatment facilities.

Zamfara’s health authorities have yet to publish an official statement regarding the incident.