The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) says custodial centres nationwide are free of cholera.
It said the routine hygienic measures put in place in the correctional centres had helped to keep cholera out.
The NCoS spokesman, Abubakar Umar, spoke to our newsmen on Wednesday as the country battles to contain a recent surge in cholera cases across 31 states.
On Monday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said the country had recorded 1,528 suspected cases of cholera and 53 deaths in 31 states across 107 Local Government Areas.
Last Tuesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the International Organisation for Migration held an emergency meeting in Lagos over the cholera outbreak in the country.
Cholera, a severe gastrointestinal disease caused by the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, spreads through contaminated water and food. It thrives in unhygienic and overcrowded environments, raising concerns about the safety of inmates in the NCoS custodial facilities.
The spokesman, however, said no cholera cases had been reported in the correctional facilities across the country.
Umar said, “A lack of potable water and poor hygiene often exacerbates cholera. We have taken steps to provide adequate water and maintain good hygiene in our custodial facilities.
“We have professional community health professionals who see to it that staff and inmates are properly educated on some basic hygiene mechanisms such as regular hand washing, proper handling of their food, and keeping their surroundings clean and hygienic.
“Due to these measures, we have not recorded any cholera outbreak or any such epidemic in our custodial centres”, Umar stated.
Umar emphasised that the NCoS had a healthcare system, encompassing various medical professionals and consistent medical supplies, noting that severe medical cases are referred to government hospitals for further treatment.
He highlighted the partnership with the NCDC, which ensures the distribution of essential hygiene supplies like soaps, sanitisers, toiletries, and disinfectants.
Umar also pointed to the effective management of COVID-19 within their facilities as evidence of their proactive health measures.
“We did not record any COVID-19 cases in our custodial centres as a result of the proactive measure we put in place to secure our facilities from such outbreaks”, he said.
