The unknown disease that was reported to have killed at least 50 people Yagba West local government area of Kogi state has been found to be malaria and gastroenteritis.
The state Ministry of Health said the death toll has not yet been confirmed, but local chiefs in the communities affected namely; Okunran, Okoloke and Isanlu-Esa said no less than 50 people have died after showing similar symptoms of stooling and vomiting with a high fever.
Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Saka Audu said: “The current information available to us is that the disease actually started six weeks ago in Okoloke village in Yagba West, which is a settlement that is predominantly inhabited by Fulani herdsmen.
“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,” he added.
He noted that the patients’ health conditions were improving.
“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 conditions were 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, adding the result of samples taken from the patients to Irua General Hospital in Edo State for investigation proved negative.
“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.”
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