Five persons have been killed in a cholera outbreak in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, South-East Nigeria.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joe Akabuike, disclosed this while speaking with journalists yesterday in the state capital, Awka. He said that so far, 120 cases of the disease have been reported.

The commissioner stressed that it was necessary to alert the public of the presence of cholera in the state so that people could take pre-cautionary measures by maintaining a high level of hygiene, including regular washing of hands.

Akabuike disclosed that the state government has provided 400 preventive tools that would protect health workers, adding that the ministry has trained people on ways of preventing the spread of the disease.

On the reported case of outbreak of the dreaded Ebola disease in Lagos, he said that it was necessary to warn people, especially Igbos who travel a lot, to be careful.

The commissioner explained that symptoms of the disease include malaria, fever and diarrhea, stressing that Ebola is yet to have medical cure.

He further warned people to avoid touching corpses of Ebola victims and to avoid sexual intercourse with patients of the disease until after three months of their recovery in order not to contact the disease.

•Photo, courtesy of Telegraph (UK), shows hospitalised cholera victims.