The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a nationwide health alert as heavy rains and looming floods threaten to fuel outbreaks of cholera, yellow fever, and dengue fever across the country.
The agency’s warning comes on the heels of forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which flagged Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Yobe, and several other states as being at high risk of flash floods this July. The NCDC said the predicted rainfall patterns could have serious public health consequences.
“Floodwaters often contaminate our water sources by washing pathogens or germs from soil, animal waste, or overwhelmed sewage systems into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water,” said Jide Idris, the NCDC’s director-general, in a statement. “This contamination affects drinking water sources and creates ideal conditions for the spread of cholera.”