Two inmates die as cholera outbreak hits Kano prison

Two inmates have died following a confirmed cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State, the Nigerian Correctional Service has said.

The NCoS said laboratory tests conducted on September 23 by its medical team and Kano State public health authorities confirmed the outbreak.

The Service’s spokesman, Chief Superintendent of Corrections JN Osuji, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

According to Osuji, the outbreak was first detected on September 17 after an inmate developed symptoms including vomiting and diarrhoea.

He said the inmate was immediately admitted and treated at the facility’s medical centre, while emergency health protocols were activated the following morning.

“Emergency medical protocols were activated the following morning as health workers intensified medical intervention and monitoring,” Osuji said.

The Service said one of the affected inmates died at the custodial centre, while the second death occurred at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital.

The Controller-General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and directed officials to sustain measures aimed at protecting inmates and correctional personnel.

“The Service regrets that the outbreak claimed two lives; one at the facility and the other at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital,” the statement said.

The NCoS said its intervention had brought the outbreak under control, adding that no additional deaths had been recorded since the diagnosis.

It said further preventive measures had been introduced in collaboration with the Kano State Government to prevent a recurrence.

The Service added that disease surveillance, early detection and prompt treatment were being strengthened across custodial facilities.

Nwakuche also directed a team of senior medical personnel from the NCoS National Headquarters to proceed to the facility for continued monitoring.

“The Controller-General has further directed a team of senior medical personnel from the Service’s National Headquarters to proceed to the facility for sustained monitoring of the situation,” the statement added.

The Service reassured the public that inmates continued to have access to healthcare through qualified medical personnel and urged the public to rely on verified information from official sources regarding the outbreak.