At least fifty persons are said to have died from a strange disease in Olamaboro Local Government Area of the state.
The State House of Assembly has therefore called on State and Federal Ministries of Health to unravel the cause of the disease in order to forestall further deaths.
The House made the call on Tuesday during plenary sitting in Lokoja following adoption of a motion on Urgent Public Importance, raised by Anthony Ujah (APC-Olamaboro), over the strange illness.
According to the lawmaker, the unknown disease comes with symptoms such as headache, red eyes, loss of appetite, inability to urinate or defecate, convulsion, and finally death.
Ujah said that the residents of Etteh Community in the local government area had been thrown into confusion by the outbreak of the strange disease. He declared that the cause of the disease was still unknown, and explained that infected persons die within one week of contracting the disease.
All efforts to get solution to the sickness using local herbs and treatment at primary health centres with referrals to clinics and hospitals in neighboring Ogugu and Okpo had failed, Ujah said.
“The reports reaching my constituency office from the community leaders confirmed that over 50 people between the age of 25 and 40 years have died since September,” he said. Seconding the motion, Edoko Moses Ododo (APC-Dekina/Biraidu), said that the people of the community now live in fear. He said that urgent steps need to be taken to save their lives as the disease can adversely affect the economic input of the agrarian community. Supporting the motion, Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Mohammed, submitted that the community shares boundary with Enugu State and that efforts should be made to urgently avert further loss of lives.
Mohammed prayed that the State Government should establish a Hospital in Etteh Community to prevent or tackle future occurrence of such epidemic and other health challenges. The Speaker of the House, Prince Mathew Kolawole, later asked for a minute silence in honour of the deceased. He directed that a letter be sent to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, for immediate support and assistance
