Around 50 people have died in recent weeks of cholera in central Nigeria's Benue state out of some 150 infected, the press quoted health officials as saying Sunday. The Guardian and other papers said that the state capital Makurdi was worst hit by the disease which broke out last month. State health commissioner Jarius Erube attributed the cause of the disease to drinking contaminated water and advised residents to always boil their water before drinking. He said medical officials and drugs had been sent to the affected areas to treat the victims as well as contain the spread of the disease. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the cholera bacteria. If not treated immediately it can cause rapid loss of body fluids and can be fatal. __
