The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to adopt sound personal and environmental hygiene practices to curb the spread of cholera across the nation.
According to The PUNCH, this advice was given by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Kambari, during an event on Saturday in Piwoyi, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory, marking the 2024 National Environmental Sanitation Day.
Held annually on June 28, the National Environmental Sanitation Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene among Nigerians.
Represented by Olubunmi Olusanya, the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health in the ministry, Kambari emphasized that the initiative seeks to educate the public on sanitation as a crucial method for controlling and preventing communicable diseases.
Addressing the ongoing cholera outbreak, Kambari stated, “Currently in the country, we are faced with the challenge of a cholera outbreak as you all know is caused by bacteria infection, which is spread through contaminated water or food as a result of unhygienic practices. For us to stop this, we need to imbibe good environmental sanitation practices, for example, open defecation is one of the primary causes of cholera.”
He further mentioned the government’s commitment to partnering with the community to maintain cleanliness.
Highlighting the health risks, Kambari added, “Open defecation is one of the primary causes of cholera before. So, before we eat, we need to wash our hands so that we don’t transmit cholera disease into our bodies, we also need to cook our food thoroughly. If you practise good sanitation and hygienic practices, you will be free from diseases.”
A representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Edwin Edeh, urged landlords to ensure their houses are equipped with toilets to foster better hygiene.
He remarked, “We want to encourage landlords here that when you build houses, make sure you have toilets so that people can use them, and I also encourage everyone in the community to wash their hands regularly.”
Jonathan Duku from Breakthrough Action Nigeria underscored the necessity for cleanliness in the community to combat both cholera and Lassa fever.
“Mitigating environmental challenges will not only eradicate cholera but also Lassa fever. We all know that a dirty environment attracts rats that cause Lassa fever and with this team, we are encouraging every community member in Piwoyi to keep their environment clean,” Duku stated.
Additionally, the Etsu of Piwoyi community, Lazarus Bahago, praised the government and its partners for the awareness campaign and committed to working with his team to promote good sanitation practices among residents.
