Members of Oro-Ago community in Ifelodun area of Kwara State
have revealed that not less than 70 persons have died of a strange illness. They
said the illness was predominant among the Fulani settlers called the Bororos in the community.
It was gathered that a large number of the Bororos had died since the
outbreak of the strange illness on July 23, 2017.
Those who spoke with The PUNCH include the
Oloro of Oro-Ago, Oba Tafa Dada; the President, Oro-Ago Development Union,
Olaniyi Olushosa; a community member, who identified himself simply as Taiwo;
and another concerned person, identified as Stephen.
According to them, those affected by the illness would first
vomit blood and some black substances.
Olushosa said death toll as a result of the strange illness
had hit 70 in two weeks. He added that he had reported the matter to the state
Ministry of Health in Ilorin, through a doctor that he identified simply as Dr.
Lawal.
He said, “It is worrisome that the Oro-Ago General Hospital
had been abandoned and left dilapidated. No health workers, nothing; right now,
our community lacks health centres.
The ODU President called on the Kwara State Government as
well as other relevant bodies, to visit the community and stop the harvest of
death.
He said, “Death toll has reached about 70 in two weeks.
Those affected are mostly the Fulani people. The matter has been reported to
the Ministry of Health.
Oba Dada also confirmed the outbreak of the strange illness.
He said he sent Olushosa to report the sad development to the Ministry of
Health in Ilorin.
He said, “It is true that a strange illness has hit some
members of Oro-Ago. The affected people vomited blood and some black
substances. That is the report that I got. I was also told that many people
have died, that was why I sent the ODU president to the ministry of health.”
A resident, Taiwo, said the strange illness started on July
23. He claimed that no fewer than 120 people had died. He said about five
persons died on Thursday on the way to the General Hospital, Omu-Oran.
He explained that 74 people died in Michede, in Oro-Ago,
between July 23 and Thursday. He added that 36 people died at Gaa Wakil along
Oreke Road, Oro-Ago, between Sunday, August 6 and Thursday.
According to him, 14 people died at Orisa via Ahun in Oro.
He also said that four people died on Wednesday, while five died on Thursday.
He said, “Since July 23, we have been experiencing a strange
disease around the Oro-Ago area. About 120 people have died.
“The symptoms are usually intermittent headaches and serious
stomach pain. If it starts, between one hour and one hour thirty minutes, they
would start vomiting blood. Those who were unable to vomit blood will die
within six hours. But those who vomited blood would stay for about three days
before they die. We have called the attention of the state Ministry of Health.
We have not seen anybody.”
But the Kwara State Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Suliaman
Aloge, said there was no strange illness in the area.
He said people were making unnecessary claims because they
wanted a functional health centre in the area.
He, however, said he got a report that a woman died on
Tuesday of cancer.
Aloge said, “The Public Health Department, through the
Epidemiological Unit, has investigated and such a thing is not recorded. There
is no outbreak of any strange illness in Oro-Ago. Why some people raised the
alarm is that the worker at the health centre in Oro-Ago was transferred and
has not been replaced. I have directed relevant units to move another nurse to
the health centre.
“I was informed that only one woman died on Tuesday.
She died of a confirmed case of cancer. There is nothing like outbreak of
illness in that community.”
However, doctors and experts who spoke to our correspondents
on Thursday said the symptoms described by the victims were suggestive of a
viral haemorrhagic disease.
A surgeon, Dr Adekunle Ashimi, said the symptoms could be
indicative of Lassa fever.
Ashimi said, “I know that there was or is a cholera
outbreak, but the symptoms described here do not fit cholera. It appears they
have another viral haemorrhagic disease from the family of Ebola and Lassa. But
samples need to be collected and analysed to get a conclusive diagnosis.”
Corroborating his colleague’s view, a medical practitioner,
Dr Adeoye Oyewole, said it could either be a situation aggravated by local
poisoning or Lassa fever.
Adeoye said,“I would say a high index for Lassa infection.
Also, considering the population and the mortality figure, it could be
poisoning. Let’s not forget that Lassa itself is poisoning of food by rat
faeces and urine. There is a local factor in that place that is poisoning their
collective food or water intake. A lot of analyses are required.”
The Director, Institute for Molecular Science and
Biotechnology, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr Ayokunle Afolabi-Toye,
said a blood toxicological screening would yield some insight into an accurate
diagnosis of the disease.
He noted that epidemiologists and relevant health
authorities in the state needed to confirm the deaths
Afolabi-Toye said, “I would first explore the possibility of
chemical poisons in the community. Not enough symptoms are reported and the
sequence and timing of appearance of symptoms is not indicated either. But
blood toxicological screening will yield some insights.”
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