•Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State
The Bauchi State government has officially declared a cholera outbreak following the laboratory confirmation of cases and a surge in suspected infections across 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
The declaration was announced by the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam, in a statement dated August 1, 2026, addressed to development partners and donor agencies.
According to the statement, the decision was taken after the recommendation of the state epidemiology team and the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, following increasing reports of Acute Watery Diarrhoea and confirmed cholera infections.
The government said that as of July 31, 2026, Bauchi had recorded 398 suspected cholera cases and 16 deaths, representing a 4 per cent case fatality rate, with infections reported in 13 LGAs.
Toro Local Government Area accounts for the highest burden with 231 suspected cases, followed by Alkaleri and Kirfi with 46 cases each, Ganjuwa with 21 cases, and Bauchi and Tafawa Balewa with 14 cases each.
The commissioner said laboratory investigations had confirmed active cholera transmission in the state.
“To date, six PCR-confirmed cases of Vibrio cholerae O1 Ogawa have been identified. These laboratory findings provide definitive evidence of cholera transmission in the state,” Dambam stated.
He explained that the confirmation of the six PCR-positive cases, coupled with the rising number of suspected infections across several LGAs, met the epidemiological and laboratory requirements set by the World Health Organisation and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for the official declaration of a cholera outbreak.
The statement noted that the declaration was made in line with the International Health Regulations (2005), the National Technical Guidelines for Cholera Preparedness and Response, and the emergency management procedures of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Dambam disclosed that the state government had activated a coordinated multisectoral emergency response involving surveillance, laboratory services, case management, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), infection prevention and control, logistics, risk communication, and community engagement.
“Rapid Response Teams have been deployed to affected LGAs, while treatment centres have been strengthened and essential medical commodities have been mobilised to support effective outbreak response,” he said.
The commissioner called on development partners, donor agencies, and other stakeholders to support the state government with resources and technical expertise to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread of the disease.
