Abuja, Oct 5 (IANS): An outbreak of cholera has killed at least 359 people in 33 Nigerian states including the state of Lagos between January and September this year.

In an update on the cholera outbreak in Nigeria in the capital city Abuja on Friday, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed a surge in the number of suspected cases, which has risen to 10,837 this year, Xinhua news agency reported.

So far this year, a total of 33 of Nigeria's 36 states have reported suspected cases of cholera. At least 15 new fatal cases from the 198 suspected new cases were reported in five states last week alone, with a case-fatality ratio of 7.6 per cent, the NCDC said.

Leading a multi-sectoral National Cholera Technical Working Group, the NCDC urged state authorities to step up their cholera preparedness and response plan and build capacities to manage emergencies.

In September, at least "254 rapid diagnostic tests were conducted with 175 positive results, 149 stool culture tests conducted and 103 positive results," read the NCDC report.

In the communities affected by the outbreak of the infectious disease, open defecation has been a common practice, the NCDC noted. While also highlighting the poor access to potable water and sanitation, it said this practice has posed a challenge to the country's effort to curb the spread of cholera.

Cholera is a highly virulent disease characterised in its most severe form by a sudden onset of acute watery diarrhoea that can lead to death by severe dehydration. The cholera outbreak is frequently reported in Nigeria due to the lack of potable water supply, especially in densely populated areas.