Residents of Benue State are having a horrible experience with a strange disease which is ravaging some communities in the state.
The worse hit victims live in areas in Oye-Obi local government area of the state where 15 deaths have been recorded and 104 others infected since the mystery disease broke out on January 29, 2020.
LEADERSHIP Friday learnt that the survival chances of those infected are very slim because they always die within 48 hours and the symptoms manifest in the form of swollen stomach, legs, internal heat, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
The ailment, which cure and treatment are yet to be discovered by Nigeria’s health authorities, broke out as the country battles the Lassa fever scourge and coronavirus is sending shockwaves across the globe.
The unknown disease outbreak in Benue and its devastating effects on the people was brought to the notice of the Senate yesterday by Senator Abba Moro (PDP – Benue South) during plenary. Consequently, the lawmakers directed the Federal Ministry of Health to immediately mobilise focal persons to the affected communities to investigate and ascertain the nature of the disease.
The Senate also ordered 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.
These resolutions were reached after the consideration of a motion brought on the floor by Senator Moro.
Moro had told the Senate that the first victims of the epidemic outbreak were Happiness Ogbo, Onajobi Ogbedu, Wisdom Agwo, Andy Edu, all of whom died 48 hours after contacting the yet to be diagnosed disease by health authorities and medical experts in Benue State.
He added that the symptoms of the disease were headache, internal heat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach.
Senator Moro said: “As at Monday, February 3, 2020, the number of persons affected by the strange epidemic had risen to 104.”
[LEADERSHIP]