The Ministry of Health in Edo State has declared a cholera outbreak in the state on Thursday, confirming six cases of the disease so far.
The Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr Stephenson Ojeifo, announced this during a news conference in Benin.
Ojeifo said that the six confirmed cases were identified among the 40 suspected cholera cases recorded to date in the state.
“We sent 23 suspected samples that tested positive in the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for confirmatory testing.
“We also have three suspected samples that tested negative for RDT but showed obvious clinical signs and symptoms.
“The total number of samples sent to the National Reference Laboratory for confirmatory testing is 26.
“As of Tuesday this week, we received 15 results, out of which six were confirmed positive for cholera, and we are still expecting some outstanding results,” he said.
