US Disease Control Centre, AFED Deploy Rapid Response Team To Zamfara

Cover- Javaistan

Based on reports from September 19, 2025, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), deployed a rapid response team to Zamfara, Nigeria, to combat a cholera outbreak.

The US CDC is collaborating with AFENET, a network focused on field epidemiology, to address the outbreak.

Since the outbreak began on January 15, the state has recorded more than 11,000 cases with a 1.6 per cent case fatality rate, the Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Health, Suleiman Isah, said in a statement on Friday.

According to the statement, all 14 local government areas have been affected, with over 60 per cent of cases reported in the Talata Mafara, Gusau, Bungudu and Zurmi areas.

Zamfara State activated its public health emergency operations center for a cholera outbreak on July 3, 2025. As of July 9, the state had reported 1,619 suspected cholera cases since the beginning of the year.

CDC and AFENET also delivered 29,500 essential medical items, including 40,000 doses of medicines such as oral rehydration salts, Ringer's lactate, dextrose water, and normal saline.

The rapid response team Lead, Ahmad Aliyu, presented the supplies to the state’s health commissioner, Nafisa Maradun.

Maradun described the support as “massive and one that will go a long way in controlling the outbreak”.

Cholera outbreaks are a recurring problem in Nigeria. A review of past outbreaks notes that factors such as poor sanitation, inadequate water supply, and conflicts that displace populations contribute to transmission.

Cholera is an infectious disease caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacteria that results in severe diarrhea and dehydration, which can be fatal if untreated.