Wetin we know about di cholera outbreak wey don kill 19 pipo, affect ova 200 dey for Obubra

Di Cholera outbreak for Obubra local goment never reduce as more pipo still dey fall victim.

Julius Mbina from Apiapum, one of di communities for di Obubra local goment tell BBC Pidgin say di situation still dey very serious as just last night, dem rush im neighbour wey dem bin discharge from hospital back to di hospital again as e still come down with di sickness.

Mbina say dem don lose five pesins from dia community to di Cholera outbreak but e dey more severe for Ovonum community wia dem din record more deaths.

Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong confam to BBC Pidgin say 19 pesins na im don die as a result of di cholera outbreak and 287 pesins dey receive treatment for dia health facilities sake of am.

Mbina add say even though di State Commissioner for Health and member wey dey represent di Constituency for di Cross Rivers State House of Assembly with representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO) come visit di two communities with some drugs last week, di situation never improve as more pipo still dey come down with cholera.

Wetin cause dis cholera outbreak?

Mbina say di only source of water for dia community na di Cross River, [di river wey dem take name di State] as na dia dem dey fetch drinking water, dey baff and do all dis activities and so di water dey bad.

"Di truth be say dis area we no get good water. We no get pipe-borne water here. So di major source of our water wey we dey use baff, wash and drink na di River, Cross River wey run through dis area. E dey unfortunate say for dis 21st century na dis be di source of water we dey drink here.

Some pipo dey go poopoo dia and even di cattle herders dey carry dia herd go di River for dem to drink so di water dey polluted." E tok.

Di Commissioner for Health, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong say dia findings also point to contaminated water as di cause of di cholera outbreak for di area as dem dey drink from di rivers and streams but dem don begin intervene and some pesins din begin recover small small.

"19 pesins don die and 287 active cases dey di health facilities and I happy say some of dem dey respond well and dey recover.

Di state goment don send some commodities to provide treatment for those wey dey affected but information and education dey key to help di pipo to begin practice good personal and environmental hygiene like to boil dia water before drinking and handwashing.

For dis particular case, open defecation [dat na to dey poopoo outside anyhow instead if for toilet] na im be di major cause of dis outbreak."

Dr. Ekpenyong say dem dey work with traditional institutions to stop pipo to continue to dey practice open defecation and dey work with those wey no get to fix dia toilets.

She observe say for some of di affected communities, dia boreholes system no dey work again and so dem dey also work with dem to see how dem fit and dey work to provide alternative source if water for dem.

"We don buy bottle, packed water and treat some of dia water as well as we dey work with WHO to see how we go treat dia water."

She add say dem don send dia response team to di areas to treat and provide all di needed commodities to check di spread of di outbreak.

'E don pass one year wey our water system stop to work'

Julius Mbina say for dia Apiapum community, borehole water never succeed as a water source as di ones dem don dig before dry up afta some time.

"Maybe becos of our locality or di topography of dis area, no functional borehole dey dis our community at all.

We bin get a water system before wey dem built and test and e dey function well, but close to one year now, we no dey get water again even though di pipes dey run and all di agency dey tok na say dem no get diesel to power di plant for water to run.

Taps dey all over di place for here but e no dey run again so na di river we dey depend on."

Mbina say e go good if di goment come help dem reactivate di water plant so dem go fit get good water for di area as di pipo na mostly farmers.

Dis na di second cholera outbreak under one month wey don happen for Cross River State. Abi and Odukpani communities bin suffer a similar outbreak late last year and about 14 pesins die.