Authorities in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos have issued a public health warning after confirming a “highly aggressive and contagious” cholera strain that has killed 15 people in the city.
The densely populated southwest city of about 25 million people said it has recorded 350 cases, a week after authorities began investigating a possible water contamination source in the affluent Lekki – Victoria Island neighborhood. At least 30 other regions in Africa’s most populous nation have reported cases, bringing the total to 882 as at June 2, according to data on the website of the national disease agency. “The identified strain is highly aggressive and contagious, with potential for widespread dissemination,” Akin Abayomi, Lagos state health commissioner said in a post on X. “Through community-based case finding and contact tracing, we have observed that the number of cases has peaked.”