An epidemic of an unknown disease has been reported in Ode Irele, Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State, claiming 27 lives, a community leader told newsmen on Thursday.
The state government has responded through its Commissioner of Health, Dayo Adeyanju, who said the infectious disease was not Ebola.
Adeyanju, speaking on the state-owned radio, while confirming the outbreak and loss of lives, said the state government was in control of the situation. He, however, admitted that the cause of the epidemic was still unknown.
Most residents of Irele have attributed the deaths to an “evil spiritual attack.”
“We noticed the strange ailment yesterday (Wednesday). Several people lost their sight before they died instantly.
“As at the last count, in the early hours of today (Thursday), more than 25 dead bodies were counted in the streets of Irele.
“Unlike yesterday, people are now scared of carrying the bodies because of fear of infections. Some residents have fled the community for Ore town, while others are planning to leave for Akure for total safety,” a community leader said.
In addition to causing blindness, the disease also caused victims’ tongues to swell, prior to death in a few hours.
Many in the community saw the ailment as having “a spiritual cause,” and they believe it is beyond the control of state health officials.
Residents are hoping that native doctors would confront the problem.
The health commissioner said, “The unknown disease is not Ebola as it does not manifest any of its symptoms, but only attacks the central nervous system of the victims.
“We can’t really say what is responsible for this ailment. It was clear that those who had died had no symptoms of vomiting or diarrhea.
“The disease has been spread to the whole town and it has been very difficult to trace it to a particular source because it has already spread across the whole local government of Irele.”
No comments:
Post a Comment