By Austin Ogwuda

Enugu—ENUGU State Commissioner for Health, Dr. George Eze, said yesterday that several children could have lost their lives but for the timely intervention of his ministry that nipped the reported cholera in some parts of the state in the bud.

He, however, regretted that some lives were lost.

Speaking in Enugu, Eze said:   “Our prompt intervention paid off as we were able to nip it in the bud, although we lost some lives but the percentage was minimal.

We can’t say we did not lose life. They were between the three years bracket. But as I speak to you”, it has been properly arrested.”

The Commissioner further said that “from our laboratory testing, it was discovered that it was gastroenteritis, not cholera per se as initially speculated.”

Recall that the outbreak occurred last month in Enugu State, leaving several people hospitalized, especially in Nsukka, Udenu and Igboeze South local government areas of the state.

Immediately the incident was reported, the Health Commissioner led a team of health workers from his ministry as well as representatives of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, and World Health Organization, WHO, to assess the extent of the outbreak.

They visited hospitals where the commissioner donated drugs from the state government worth over N500,000 to be administered free of charge.

At one of the hospitals visited, he said: “As I donate these drugs on behalf of the governor, Mr Sullivan Chime, I urge you to do more. I appreciate the way you have managed the disease, it shows that the state will be at peace whenever something similar occurs in these three councils.”