Eniola Yekini
The Bauchi State Government has taken its response to cholera outbreak directly to communities as it prepares to deploy trained WASH officers and emergency response teams to affected and high-risk areas.
The intervention is being coordinated by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), with technical support from UNICEF.
As part of the initiative, WASH Desk Officers from eight Local Government Areas have undergone a three-day training on Case Area Targeted Intervention (CATI), designed to stop cholera transmission at its source.
RUWASSA Director of Sanitation and Hygiene, Bala Zailani, said the training would be followed by community-level interventions aimed at identifying and addressing factors responsible for the spread of the disease.
He said officers would conduct step-down training in their respective LGAs before response teams move into affected communities.
“We are fully prepared to respond. After the training, we will deploy to the LGAs and go from one community to another to stop the spread,” Zailani said.
He disclosed that preventive measures had also been extended to LGAs that had not recorded cases, with the distribution of cholera prevention kits and sensitisation materials.
The government official said the approach was intended to strengthen preparedness across the state and prevent the disease from spreading to additional communities.
UNICEF WASH Specialist, Bauchi Field Office, Nambam Dawap, said community participation would be essential to the success of the intervention.
She called for improved hygiene practices, safe drinking water and greater use of toilets, warning that contaminated water and poor sanitation could expose children and other vulnerable residents to cholera.
Dawap also urged residents to wash their hands at critical times, including after using the toilet, before preparing food and before feeding children.
She stressed that the fight against cholera should not be left to government alone, saying communities, parents, caregivers and civil society organisations all have roles to play.
With the CATI strategy, Bauchi authorities said they would focus on rapid community response, water quality testing, sanitation improvement and hygiene promotion to contain the outbreak and reduce the risk of future infections.