By Bisola Adeyemo
Following the outbreak of a strange illness in Benue State, the state government has closed down Vaatia Secondary School in Markudi, Benue state.
According to Dailypost, the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Joseph Ngbea, who confirmed the incident in a statement, said the strange disease left nine students with mild paresis, adding that some of the patients have been discharged while few others are still hospitalized.
“We got a report about the outbreak of the unknown disease and we went to the Teaching Hospital where three of the students were on admission. We saw that the children had Paresis – weakness of the limbs.
“We looked at the possible causes because this country is almost certified free of Poliomyelitis.
“So, when we got there, it was confirmed that it was not Poliomyelitis. What we are looking at is ‘Golemba Syndrome’. It is a weakness that starts from the limbs upwards,” he said.
However, the Commissioner said the disease could be a result of bacterial, fungal, or viral infection.