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Ondo state commissioner of health, Dayo Adeyanju claims
disease outbreak not "Ebola"
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An outbreak of a strange ailment has claimed more than
twenty five lives in Ode Irele in Irele local government area of Ondo State, a
community leader has told SaharaReporters.
Ondo state commissioner of health, Dayo Adeyanju claims
disease outbreak not "Ebola"
Sahara Reporters Media
In a telephone interview with our correspondent, the
community leader, Ayodele Omole, stated that the “strange ailment” broke out on
Wednesday morning and had already created panic among residents, adding that
many people were fleeing from the community. In a radio broadcast, the Ondo
State Commissioner for Health, Dayo Adeyanju, confirmed the outbreak, but
assured residents that it was not Ebola.
Even though the source of the epidemic has not been
determined, Mr. Omole stated that many residents had blamed it on an “evil
spiritual attack.”
“We noticed the strange ailment yesterday (Wednesday),” said
Mr. Omole. “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.”
He stated that, in addition causing blindness, the unknown
disease also caused victims’ tongues to swell abnormally, rendering the victims
incapable of speech, prior to death within a few hours.
Mr. Omole said many in the community saw the ailment as
having “a spiritual cause,” adding that they believed it was beyond the control
of state health officials. He added that the residents were hoping that some
traditional healers would quickly come in to help.
A young resident in the town said the gods in the community
were angry because “some section of the shrine was recently destroyed and some
sacred objects stolen by unknown people.” He said some worshipers of the deity
and traditional priests were meeting to discover those behind the theft.
Meanwhile, the state government has confirmed the outbreak
of the “unknown disease,” adding that it was on top of the situation.
In a broadcast on a state-owned radio station in Akure, the
state capital, the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Mr. Adeyanju, said the
ravaging disease was not Ebola as some feared. The commissioner stated that
health officials and equipment had been deployed to the community to curtail
the spread of the strange disease.
“The community outbreak team informed us yesterday morning
of disease outbreak in Irele. The unknown disease isn't Ebola as it doesn’t
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,”
said Mr. Adeyanju, adding that the symptoms of the ailment included headaches
and loss of sight prior to death.
“The disease has been spread to the whole town and it has
been very difficult to trace it to a particular source because it had already
spread across the whole local government of Irele,” he said.
The health commissioner disclosed that investigations had
commenced to determine the cause and source of the strange epidemic stressing
that blood samples from some victims have been taken to a laboratory in Lagos
for tests.
The epidemic
has claimed two more victims today by noon
Photo Credit: SaharaReporters
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