Dr Saka Audu said the disease was not Lassa fever, saying the result
of samples taken from the patients to Irua General Hospital for
investigation proved negative.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu, has appealed for calm over reports of a mysterious disease in the state.
The
commissioner, who denied that 62 people had died from the disease, told
newsmen in Lokoja that those so far diagnosed were found to be
suffering from gastroenteritis and Malaria.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state Ministry of Health
had in a statement put the figure of those who died at 62 in Okunran,
Okoloke and Isanlu-Esa all in Yagba West Local Government Area.
“The
current information available to us is that the strange disease
actually started six weeks ago in Okoloke village in Yagba West, which
is a settlement that is predominantly inhabited by Fulani herdsmen.
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“There have been cases of reported
deaths following abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, but the
patients who showed signs of illness had since been evacuated and
transported to Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja for better
treatment.
“So far, we have
evacuated 39 patients from Okoloke area and only six of them were
admitted and have shown significant sign of improvement while others
have since been discharged.
“Out
of the six that were admitted, three of them were diagnosed of
gastroenteritis and the remaining three were just cases of malaria, and
they have shown remarkable signs of improvement,” Audu said.
He
also stressed that the disease was not Lassa fever, saying the result
of samples taken from the patients to Irua General Hospital for
investigation proved negative.
On the 62
persons earlier reported to have died, the commissioner said the figure
was given by local leaders in the affected areas and was yet to be
verified by government.
“We will investigate and trace the dead people to the grave yard and come up with the correct figure.
“We
want to assure the general public that government is doing all that is
humanly possible to stay on top of the situation and forestall further
loss of lives.
“We will continue to inform the public as the investigation progresses,’’ Audu said.
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