Current location:Global Gazetteer news portal > style
Alarm over 'strange' illness that has killed four and sickened dozens more in Nigeria
Global Gazetteer news portal2024-05-21 09:17:36【style】7People have gathered around
IntroductionFour people have been killed and dozens sickened by a 'strange' illness in Nigeria.All of the cases
Four people have been killed and dozens sickened by a 'strange' illness in Nigeria.
All of the cases have occurred in Sokoto, in the north-west of the country, close to the border of Niger.
Concerned health chiefs have now been dispatched to the area to investigate the nature of the illness.
Details on what the actual disease is are scarce.
Local media reported people have been struck down with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, sudden weight loss and abdominal swelling.
The deaths have all been recorded from March 21.
In total, 164 cases — mainly involving children aged between four and 13 — across the area have been logged.
Of these, four patients were hospitalised.
Another 130 have received treatment either at home or in local primary care centres.
At a press briefing in the country's capital Abuja on Tuesday, director general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Dr Jide Idris, said 'notably this is not the first occurrence', according to the Nigerian Observer.
He added: 'A similar incident was documented in 2023. That one went without a conclusive diagnosis.
Cases have all been logged in the city of Sokoto (pictured), in the north-west of the country, close to the border of Niger. Concerned health chiefs have now been dispatched to the area to investigate the nature of the illness
'Results indicate varying levels of lead and chromium in blood samples, prompting scrutiny of local activities such as mining and agricultural practices involving chemical usage.'
However, he noted: 'The collaborative efforts extend beyond health institutions, encompassing government agencies, research bodies, and community stakeholders.
'At the moment, security challenges hamper access to affected areas, complicating response efforts.'
Communities affected by the outbreak should be vigilant, he urged, and report any potential symptoms immediately to local health centres.
Nigeria has recently been hit by outbreaks of Lassa fever, with more than 150 deaths recorded across the nation since January.
The rodent-borne disease is thought to cause no symptoms in 80 per cent of patients and kill just one per cent of those it infects.
People usually become infected with Lassa fever after exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rats.
But the virus, which can make women bleed from their vagina and trigger seizures, can also be transmitted via bodily fluids.
Last year, the country also battled a deadly diphtheria outbreak, killing more than 600 people mainly children.
The highly contagious bacterial infection mainly affects the nose and throat. It can also infect the skin, causing painful lesions.
Address of this article:http://malawi.fivesixgroup.com/html-35e699955.html
Very good!(55)
Related articles
- Kevin Pillar gets 1,000th career hit in Angels' win at Texas
- China Beats Thailand to Keep Olympic Qualification Hope Alive
- China's city of future preserves tradition, nostalgia
- Young Bullet Train Conductor Striving for Splendid Youth
- Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
- Stitching up History
- Chinese Artistic Swim Sister Duo Bags Back
- NPC Deputy from Hunan Province Dedicated to Improving People's Livelihood at Grassroots Level
- Britain's new bonkers EV: Callum Skye is an £80k electric buggy built in Warwickshire
- Volunteer Groups Crochet Woolen Bouquets for Games Medalists
Popular articles
Recommended
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons
Wang Chuqin, Wang Manyu Win All
Across China: All
Knitting Teacher Casts off Gloom
Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
Village Official Helps Farmers Escape Poverty by Growing Fruits, Vegetables
GLOBALink
Millennial Chinese Nurse Striving to Improve Self
Links
- Judith Collins picks up raft of ministerial positions in new government
- David Cameron's Falklands visit prompts playful dig from Buenos Aires
- Teens arrested after petrol station, vape shop burglaries
- MPs 'probably' deserve pay rises, former minister Chris Finlayson says
- World Court orders Israel to halt Gaza famine; Hamas says ceasefire needed
- Coalition deals: What happens if things go wrong
- Migration still at record levels but signs of slowdown
- Winston Peters says Gaza 'a wasteland', criticises UN Security Council in speech
- British Army to remove claim Princess of Wales will attend event
- Malaysian mini