Unregistered Tiger Nut Drinks Caused Lagos Cholera Outbreak, Death Toll Rises To 24

The Lagos State Government announced that an unregistered tiger nut drink is the main cause of the recent cholera outbreak in the state.

The cholera outbreak has impacted areas such as Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, and Kosofe, with many cases reported in hospitals.

Akin Abayomi, the Lagos commissioner for health, revealed on his X page that, as of June 19, there were 417 suspected cases, 35 confirmed cases, and 24 deaths from cholera.

Speaking with Punch, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi said that an increase in cases was noticed in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

She said a survey indicated that the common factor among the patients was a tiger nut drink, which was not registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Ogunyemi added that patients who came to the hospitals all confirmed that they consumed the tiger nut drink before falling ill.

She said efforts to trace the drink’s source include collecting samples and conducting contact tracing, but these efforts are hampered by the drink’s lack of registration and an unreachable phone number on the bottle.

Ogunyemi added that further testing confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholerae subtype 01, the most infectious and aggressive strain of cholera.

She said, “We found empty bottles with a name on them, but we discovered that it wasn’t even registered with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the regulatory body that ensures the safety of consumables.

“There was a phone number and a name on the bottle, and we started tracing. We did contact tracing, similar to what we did with COVID-19.

“We combed the area to ask people where they got the drinks from. We couldn’t find any full bottles. We only found empty ones, which were of no use because we could not test them. The phone number on the bottle was not reachable.

“Of course, Cholera is also water-borne, so we took samples of the water to test it. The bottom line is that we took stool samples because different things cause diarrhoea.

“It could be anything else. We found out that it was confirmed cholera, specifically Vibrio cholera subtype 01, which is the most infectious and aggressive type. There are different types, but we identified this one.”

“There are different types, but we identified this one. In Lagos Island, Eti-osa, and Kosofe, we recorded the highest number of cases that went to the hospital.

“I’m not talking about reported cases. These are the people who did the right thing by going to the hospital to complain of symptoms, and they were treated. That’s when we were alerted.”

Ogunyemi advised residents to maintain hygiene and ensure that products they buy are registered with relevant government agencies.

KanyiDaily recalls that in 2021, Bauchi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Aliyu Mohammed Maigoro announced that an outbreak of cholera had killed 20 people in the state.