Nigeria: Another strange sickness kills 7 in Benue, 15 hospitalised - bad water?

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.legit.ng/1297881-another...pitalised.html

Another strange sickness kills 4 in Benue, 15 hospitalised
17 minutes ago
by Onyirioha Nnamdi

Another strange sickness is currently ravaging parts of Benue state - Health officials have claimed that while at least four persons have died due to the sickness, 15 others have been hospitalised - The state commissioner for health, Sunday Ongbabo, said that a call for help has been made to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) About four persons have been confirmed dead with not less than 15 others receiving treatment in the Oye-Obi in Obi local government area of Benue state.

According to Andyson Egbodo, the new President of Igede national youths council, each of the deceased showed the same symptoms which are headache, internal heat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Speaking on Wednesday, January 29, Egbodo said that a medical team has been sent to the local government area to tackle the disease and prevent its spread. Another strange sickness kills 4 in Benue, 15 hospitalised The state commissioner for health, Sunday Ongbabo, said that the dispatched medial team, are still trying to ascertain if the sickness is Lassa fever or any other known disease...

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.newtelegraphng.com/senat...reak-in-benue/

Senate raises the alarm over strange disease outbreak in Benue
February 7, 2020 Chukwu David

The Senate yesterday raised the alarm over the outbreak of a strange epidemic in Oye-Obi Local Government Area of Benue State on January 29, 2020.

Consequently, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Health to immediately mobilise focal persons to the area to investigate and ascertain the nature of the disease, which had so far claimed fifteen lives.

It further urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to promptly put up surveillance to contain the disease, ensure the treatment of victims and protect others from contacting it...

...“As at Monday, February 3, 2020, the number of people affected with the strange epidemic has risen to one hundred and four,” Moro lamented...

[Shiloh]

Strange disease in Benue not Lassa Fever, yet unknown, says health Minister
7th February 2020
Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has confirmed that preliminary medical investigation has revealed that the “strange” disease that had claimed several lives in Benue state is not Lassa Fever as being rumoured by some people.

The Minister who addressed journalists in Abuja, on Friday, said that, “for now, medical investigations have not detected the ailment, but there are indications suggesting that the chemical substance being used for fishing in the affected community could be responsible, but that is subject to outcome of further investigation.”...

[turchin]

https://dailypost.ng/2020/02/07/benue-killer-disease-a-mystery-its-not-ebola-lassa-fever-or-coronavirus-nigerian-govt/

[Ronan Kelly]

Benue Explains Outbreak of Disease
February 8, 2020 3:31 am

Benue State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr. Sunday Ongbabo has said the State Government was investigating what appeared to be a strange sickness and has discovered that those affected might have consumed contaminated water. According to Ongbabo, samples of the victims were taking for screening as initially there were suspecion of Lassa fever and other virus disease but the results came out negative. Ongbabo ,who spoke to THISDAY on Friday said investigation was pointing at the source of water the victims drank in the area . He said findings revealed that victims had consumed from a pond that was contaminatted with Gamaline by local fishermen. He also revealed that samples of water have been collected for analysis. “Yes, we are aware of the strange disease killing people in Obi local government area of the state. We have sent our focal person there to investigate the situation and ascertain the nature of the endemic.

“We have declared state of emergency on those kinds of strange diseases in the state. We have also put surveillance to track down all the diseases and see how we can treat them.
...

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/02/08/benue-explains-outbreak-of-disease/

[sharon sanders]

I merged 2 threads on the same topic.

[Emily]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nigeria-disease-mystery-virus-deaths-benue-state-abba-moro-a9325806.html

Nigeria warns over mystery disease which has left 15 dead and infected dozens more

Illness causes vomiting, swelling and diarrhoea, government says

• Tom Embury-Dennis @tomemburyd
• 11 hours ago

...
Mr Ehanire said the NCDC had now activated an emergency response operation in the affected area – with government officials suspecting chemicals used in fishing may be responsible for the sickness, according to the BBC...

This practice is happening in other places, too. The poisons make the fish easier to catch.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/12/29/fishermen-poison-fish-in-matamuhuri

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.newtelegraphng.com/death...ises-to-seven/

Death toll in Benue’s strange disease rises to seven
February 11, 2020 Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

The death toll in the disease ravaging parts of Oju and Obi Local Government Areas of Benue State has risen to seven even as the deadly Lasser fever has spread to Guma Local Government Area of the state, the home-country of Governor Samuel Ortom.

The state epidemiologist, Dr. Samuel Ngise, disclosed this while giving an update on the diseases in an interview in Makurdi.

Ngise said field reports obtained by the Ministry of Health, revealed that a total of seven people affected by the strange disease had died, while one more case of Lasser fever was confirmed from Guma Local Government.

He said: “A field assessment carried out as at last Friday, we had seven peoples in Oju community that had lost their lives.

“On Lasser fever, records show that we have one person again that has tested positive, before then, we call them suspected cases. So, anybody we suspect of having contacted the disease, we put in our treatment centres and we look forward to managing them until the result comes out before we can actually categorise...

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Source: https://punchng.com/strange-illness-...amples-abroad/

Strange illness: Benue may test samples abroad
Published February 11, 2020
John Charles, Makurdi

Benue State Government said on Monday it would likely take samples of water, sand, fish and plants in Oye Obi in the Obi Local Government Area abroad for examination.

Oye Obi was three weeks ago ravaged by a strange disease resulting in the death of four people.

The senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Abba Moro, had disclosed on the floor of the red chamber on Thursday that 15 persons died of the strange disease while 104 had been down with the strange illness...