Descriptive epidemiology of the 2018 cholera outbreak in Nigeria: implications for the global roadmap strategies

Introduction: The 2018 cholera outbreak in Nigeria indicates that the disease remains an enormous public health threat. This paper, therefore, provides an epidemiological description of the outbreak, with a view to provide current evidence for public health planning and interventions towards cholera elimination in the country. Methods/Principal Findings: This was a retrospective analysis of surveillance data from January 1st to November 19th, 2018. A cholera case was defined as an individual aged 2 years or older with acute watery diarrhoea, and severe dehydration or dying from acute watery diarrhoea. Descriptive analyses were performed in terms of person, time and place. Overall, there were 43,996 cases with an attack rate (AR) of 127.43/100,000 population, and 836 deaths with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 1.90%. Individuals aged 15 years or older (47.76%) recorded the highest number of cases, while the proportion of males (49.00%) and females (51.00%) was nearly equal. The outbreak wa...