A strange disease has killed at least 57 persons in Ette and Umuopu communities in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Following the outbreak of the strange Disease, Surveillance and Notification Officer in the council area, Vincent Oshomi, stated that the cause of the strange deaths is not yet known.
Oshomi informed the newmen that the disease broke out at Ette at the beginning of September 2020, and spread to the border community of Umuopu, where at least 37 persons have died both in Ette and nearby community including four casualties recorded yesterday.
He further explained that the disease symptoms is as that convulsion, diarrhoea before vomiting blood, which make them suspects Lassa fever or cholera.
He added “I have officially informed the state’s Ministry of Health and investigations are currently ongoing to unravel the cause of the deaths, and specimen of the affected persons in the communities has been collected for proper diagnosis treatment,and also, Coronavirus test will equally start in the affected communities today.
“The state’s Ministry of Health has brought an ambulance we are using to convey the sick ones to Enugu for proper diagnosis and treatment.”he added.
Reacting to the development, the chairman of the local government area, Ejike Itodo, who said he was on top of the situation, added that he would convene a meeting of stakeholders to begin thorough enlightenment about the strange disease.
While assuring the affected communities that the situation would be put under control, he said that the state’s Ministry of Health and other health workers in the council area are working to ensure that more casualties will not be recorded.
According to the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the local government area, Comrade Mabel Ogili, a 30-year-old student of the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Chinedu Oyiga, 40-year-old Emeka Elugwu Onu, and 47-year-old Simon Eze were among the 20 casualties at Umuopu community.
Meanwhile, all efforts to speak with the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Emmanuel Obi, on the development, proved abortive as he neither responded to phone calls nor text message put through to his phone line at the time of filing this report.