The Bauchi State Government has moved into emergency mode after officially declaring a cholera outbreak, with 398 suspected cases and 16 deaths recorded in 13 Local Government Areas as of July 31, 2026.
Health Commissioner Dr. Sani Mohammed Dambam announced the declaration on August 1, following recommendations from the state epidemiology team and the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. The decision came after a spike in Acute Watery Diarrhoea and laboratory confirmation of the disease.
Toro LGA is bearing the heaviest burden with 231 suspected cases. Alkaleri and Kirfi have 46 cases each, Ganjuwa 21, while Bauchi and Tafawa Balewa LGAs recorded 14 cases each. The outbreak has pushed the state’s case fatality rate to 4 per cent.
Laboratory tests have confirmed active transmission. Six cases have tested PCR-positive for Vibrio cholerae O1 Ogawa, meeting the outbreak thresholds set by the World Health Organisation and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
The declaration aligns with the International Health Regulations 2005 and national cholera response guidelines.
In response, the government has activated a multisectoral emergency plan covering surveillance, case management, laboratory support, WASH, infection prevention, logistics, and risk communication. ALSO READ: Cholera Outbreak: Experts test water sources as 90 die in Borno
Rapid Response Teams have been deployed to affected communities, treatment centres have been upgraded, and essential medical supplies have been mobilized.
Dr. Dambam is now calling on development partners, donor agencies, and stakeholders to provide technical and financial support to contain the spread and protect vulnerable populations.
“Our priority is to stop further deaths and break the chain of transmission,” he said.
