Kaduna — About 20 people have lost their lives and over 2,000 hospitalised following a cholera outbreak in Borno State.

According to a BBC Hausa report monitored in Kaduna yesterday, the outbreak started in Madube village of Gwoza Local Government Area of the state, and has spread to other villages in Biu, Jere, Mafa, Konduga, Marte, Dikwa, Ngala, and Maiduguri Local Government Areas.

The situation, according to reports, is becoming worrisome considering the rate at which cholera is spreading in the state, particularly in local government areas that have thousands of inhabitants amidst lack of pipe-borne water.

A resident of Unguwar Gwange, one of the areas ravaged by cholera, said, "We have no good source of clean water and the government is supposed to hurriedly address this issue, considering the outbreak, and should also do a robust awareness campaign".

In his take, the Commissioner of Health, Alhaji Zubairu Maina, said, "The state government has sufficient drugs and personnel that will take good care of the affected persons. We have started a serious campaign on the importance of drinking clean water, and we have set up camps for those affected, giving them adequate care.

"We are also doing studies, especially in the affected communities on their sources of water."

He said that only two months ago as a result of a cholera outbreak, the state government spent about N200 million for drugs as a means of halting the menace as against the recent cholera outbreak.