By Hajara Usman
Gombe State government has begun the distribution of chlorine in the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe as part of measures to mitigate Cholera.
Dr. Umar Musa, the Waste Manager of the Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA), stated this in Gombe on Tuesday.
Musa said the area targeted for chlorination was wells, stagnant ponds, and reservoirs, while those that were fetching water in the river would get aqua tabs since they cannot chlorinate a running river or stream.
He said the aqua tab would be given to them, and the personnel handling the chlorination would teach them how to apply it in their drinking water.
He said the chlorine was a measure to mitigate cholera in the state “, The chlorine will destroy all the pathogens in water which contains the bacterium called Vibrio cholerae which cause cholera infection and other water born disease,” he said.
He said 110 trained personnel were handling the distribution of the chlorine and aqua tab in various communities.
Musa said the distribution would last up to December to ensure that no stone was left unturned.
According to him, the distribution of chlorine was the preventive method Gombe adopted in 2023, and it yielded positive results because there was no single case of cholera recorded.
He said in 2023 that the distribution was only the hot spot marked, but this time around, they expanded the areas and increased the quantity from six to ten drums.
He said the chlorination was a proactive measure against gastroenteritis and cholera, which is a water-borne disease” We have taken the same measure in 2023 and the result was positive because we have not recorded a single case of cholera”, he explained.
Dr. Habu Dahiru Gombe State Commissioner of Health said that, what they are doing in Gombe was more of preventive”, This is because people have travelled during Sallah and on their return, they may harbour the organism, hence the need for prevention,” he said.
He said so far of the cases of gastroenteritis recorded in the state, none of them turned out to be positive for Vibrio cholera.
The Commissioner emphasised the need for safe water and basic sanitation and hygiene practice as a critical way of preventing and controlling the transmission of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
