By Chioma Obinna & Victoria Ojeme

LAGOS—Concerned by the over 500 deaths from cholera recorded in the country this year, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has raised alarm over increasing cases of the deadly disease, urging Nigerians to adopt good personal hygiene practices throughout the rainy season.

Delivering a lecture at the just-concluded two-day workshop on Emergencies, Ethical and Humanitarian Stories Reporting for journalists held in Kano last week, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF, Olusoji Adeniyi, stressed the need to maintain good hygiene practices as key to preventing another cholera outbreak.

Noting impact of such outbreak on children’s health, he said keeping the environment clean, especially during the rainy season, reduces children’s vulnerability to the disease.

According to him, the best way to combat the disease is for people to ensure proper sanitation and as well as putting an end to open defecation.

His words: “The mortality rate of cholera in Nigeria is high. Cholera epidemic in Nigeria has been recurrent for decades due to poor hygiene and poor water supply and use.

“Early this year, Bayelsa State alone recorded 23 deaths, while no fewer than 25 died in Anambra State.

“The mortality for cholera in 2015 is over 500 in Nigeria and there are so many deaths still occurring.

“We need to provide good water to prevent cholera outbreaks and ensure that things we eat, especially fruits are properly cleaned before consumption.”

He said the mortality rate for the outbreak of the scourge calls for prompt action and the need for the provision of good accessible water.