Jolted by the death of 700 people from cholera between January and September, the Senate is to organise a public hearing to work out ways to end the menace.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Gyang Dantong, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos yesterday that the disease was still wreaking havoc in 25 states.
“This (cholera) is a disease that can easily be prevented by maintaining basic hygiene, but it has continued to kill so many people over the years,’’ Dantong said, noting that the casualty figure had continued to rise, and disclosed that there were “at least 21,000 cases still being treated in various hospitals’’.
Dantong said that the destruction by the tropical disease was a major worry for the senators, and hinted of plans by the law makers to step up enlightenment campaigns to check the scourge.
“Money is not needed to prevent the disease; the Senate will soon organise a public hearing, where stakeholders and other members of the public will work out the quickest way out,’’ he said.
The medical doctor, who represents Plateau North, pointed out that it was not a matter for the Federal Ministry of Health as was being suggested by some groups.