Outcome of cholera admissions in Bauchi, Nigeria

Abstract

In 2007, the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa officially noted the resurgence of cholera in the Africa subregion, and called for strengthening of policies on water supply and sanitation. We study the mortality profile of patients admitted for cholera and factors associated with adverse outcomes. Records of patients admitted with cholera between 1 November 2010 and 31 October 2011 were studied. Patients’ age, sex, duration of symptoms before hospitalisation, duration of hospitalisation, and outcome after hospitalisation, were noted. One thousand, two hundred and twenty cholera cases were admitted during the study period, accounting for 39.3% of 3 108 admissions to the medical wards. Of the 1 220 managed cases of cholera, 38 died, providing a case fatality of 3.1%. The mean age of the non-survivors (42.3 ± 16.2) was higher (p-value = 0.01) than that of the survivors (34.9 ± 15.1). Similarly, the mean duration of symptoms before hospitalisation, and duration of hospitalisation, was higher in non-survivors than it was in survivors (p-value 0.001, 0.001 respectively). The mortality profile in women was better than it was in men (p-value = 0.02). Case fatality was high in managed patients with cholera because of their late presentation to the hospital. There is a need to increase personal hygiene and environmental sanitation campaigns in urban and rural areas.