The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC has expressed concern over growing threat to water safety in the country, which triggers outbreak of water-borne diseases, including cholera.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Jide Idris, expressed worry in an interview with on Sunday in Abuja, stressing that improper refuse disposal and open defecation practices are endangering the quality of water sources used for drinking and for personal use.
Recall the centre announced an outbreak of cholera, a severe diarrheal illness caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which has spread to more than 30 states of the federation.
The centre also reports that as of June 24, 2024, there were 1,528 suspected cholera cases, 65 confirmed cases and 53 deaths across 107 local government areas in 31 states, reflecting a case fatality rate of 3.5 per cent since the beginning of the year.
The most affected states include Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, Nasarawa and Lagos.
The NCDC boss, therefore, urged Nigerians to adopt safe sanitation practices and called on state governments to enforce stricter waste management regulations, saying unsafe practices lead to contamination of water bodies.