The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has contained a cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State.

The ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌⁠‍‌⁠‍‍‍‌public relations officer, CSC Jane Osuji, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

Ms Osuji said the outbreak was confirmed through laboratory investigation on September 23 by the NCoS medical team at the facility and state public health authorities.

She also said that the incident was first detected on September 17, when an inmate observed to be vomiting and with diarrhoea was immediately admitted and treated at the centre’s medical facility.

“By the next morning, the medical team activated emergency medical protocols while intensifying medical intervention and monitoring,” she said.

The service PRO said that the coordinated interventions successfully brought the outbreak under control, with no further mortality recorded since the diagnosis.

She, however, said the outbreak claimed two lives, one at the facility and another at the state infectious diseases hospital.

Ms Osuji said the Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, was immediately briefed, and he directed that all necessary measures be sustained to protect the lives, health and welfare of inmates and personnel.

Mr Nwakuche extended his condolences over the loss of lives and directed additional preventive measures in collaboration with the Kano State government.

He said the service had also strengthened disease surveillance, early detection and prompt medical response across custodial facilities in collaboration with relevant public health authorities.

The controller-general also directed a team of senior medical personnel from the service national headquarters to proceed to the facility for sustained monitoring.

He said healthcare services remained available across custodial facilities through qualified medical personnel.

He further assured that the service remained committed to ensuring that persons in custody were treated humanely, with their health, dignity and welfare protected in line with the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, and established correctional standards.

He urged members of the public to rely on verified information from official channels as the service continued to provide updates on the situation where necessary. 

(NAN)