The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has contained a cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State, following the activation of emergency medical measures at the facility.
The Service Public Relations Officer, Jane Osuji, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.
According to Osuji, laboratory tests conducted by the NCoS medical team in conjunction with state public health authorities confirmed the outbreak on Sept. 23.
She said the first case was identified on Sept. 17 after an inmate developed vomiting and diarrhoea and was admitted to the custodial centre’s medical facility for treatment.
‘By the next morning, the medical team activated emergency medical protocols while intensifying medical intervention and monitoring,’ she said.
Osuji said the measures taken by the service and health authorities had successfully brought the situation under control, adding that no further death had been recorded since the outbreak was diagnosed.
She, however, disclosed that two inmates died during the incident, with one death occurring at the custodial centre and the other at the state infectious diseases hospital.
The NCoS spokesperson said the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, was promptly informed of the development and directed that all necessary measures be maintained to safeguard the health and welfare of inmates and personnel.
Nwakuche also expressed condolences over the deaths and ordered the implementation of additional preventive measures in collaboration with the Kano State Government.
As part of efforts to prevent further spread of the disease, the controller-general directed that disease surveillance, early detection and prompt medical intervention be strengthened across custodial centres nationwide in partnership with relevant public health authorities.
He also ordered senior medical personnel from the service’s national headquarters to proceed to the affected facility to monitor the situation.
Nwakuche said qualified medical personnel continued to provide healthcare services in custodial facilities across the country.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the service to ensuring humane treatment of persons in custody and protecting their health, dignity and welfare in accordance with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, and established correctional standards.
The controller-general urged members of the public to obtain information about the outbreak from verified official channels, saying the service would provide further updates when necessary.