Bauchi State Government has declared a cholera outbreak following the confirmation of cases of the disease, with 16 deaths recorded across 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The declaration was contained in a memo by the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to international donor partners, dated Aug. 1, 2026, titled: “Declaration of Cholera Outbreak in Bauchi State.”
The ministry said the declaration followed an increase in reported cases of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) and laboratory confirmation of cholera cases.
According to the ministry, the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare declared the outbreak based on recommendations from the state epidemiology team and the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre.
The declaration, it said, was made in line with the International Health Regulations (2005), the National Technical Guidelines for Cholera Preparedness and Response, and established public health emergency management procedures of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The ministry said that as of July 31, the state had recorded 398 suspected cholera cases across 13 LGAs, with 16 deaths and a case fatality rate of four per cent.
Toro LGA recorded the highest number of suspected cases with 231, followed by Alkaleri and Kirfi with 46 cases each.
Ganjuwa recorded 21 cases, while Bauchi and Tafawa Balewa LGAs recorded 14 cases each.
Meanwhile, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Desk Officers from eight high-risk LGAs have received training on preparedness and response to the outbreak.
The training, organised through the Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), focused on Case Area Targeted Intervention (CATI) in high-risk areas.
Speaking at the workshop, Ms Nambam Dawap, UNICEF WASH Specialist, Bauchi Field Office, said the training was aimed at strengthening the capacity of WASH Desk Officers to respond effectively to the outbreak.
“We are here to prepare response to possible cholera outbreak. We want to train the WASH Desk Officers from the eight high-risk LGAs to equip them on how to effectively respond,” she said.
Dawap said safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene were critical to preventing cholera and other waterborne diseases, particularly among children.
She said UNICEF’s focus on child survival made cholera prevention particularly important, especially during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
According to her, providing water alone was not sufficient, stressing the need to ensure that drinking water was clean and safe through proper testing and treatment.
She also warned against contamination of household water through unsafe drainage systems and other sources of pollution.
Dawap identified open defecation as another major risk factor, noting that human excreta could carry disease-causing bacteria and viruses capable of contaminating water and triggering outbreaks.
She urged communities to use improved toilets and practise regular handwashing, particularly after using the toilet, before feeding babies, before serving food and after cleaning a child.
The UNICEF official said proper handwashing at critical times could significantly reduce the risk of disease transmission.
She urged government agencies, civil society organisations, parents and caregivers to work together to address the underlying causes of cholera rather than focusing solely on emergency response after cases emerge.
Dawap said efforts should include ensuring access to safe water, improving sanitation, ending open defecation and promoting behavioural changes that would protect children and other vulnerable members of the population.
She urged residents to take precautionary measures during the outbreak and ensure that water used for drinking and household activities was safe.
