LAGOS
At least 60 people have died of cholera across Nigeria's northeastern Bauchi State since January, a government official has said.
"This year, cholera hit the state in a big way. As a result, more than 60 are believed to have died of the disease," Bauchi Health Commissioner Dr. Sani Abubakar Malami told newsmen in state capital Bauchi.
"About 55 of those who lost their lives died as a result of their refusal to visit the hospital for medical attention," he said.
"Only five of the casualties died in hospital; the remaining ones refused to seek help," the official added.
He said that 1000 infected people had received treatment since the outbreak erupted in January.
"The government's quick intervention resulted in the deployment of 2000 health workers across the state to talk to the people and sensitize them on the need… to keep their environment clean," Malami said.
Government health workers, he added, were also "visiting health facilities in their localities [to provide] prompt medical attention when they notice signs of cholera."
The state government had also recently chlorinated more than 15,000 wells in hopes of preventing the spread of the disease, Malami said.
This year, cholera outbreaks have been reported in several parts of Nigeria, one of the few countries still at risk of the disease.
WaterAid, an international charity devoted to water issues, recently said that more than 63 million Nigerians lacked access to clean water.
The U.N. Children's fund (UNICEF), for its part, puts the figure at over 70 million.
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