A group called Igede National Youth Council in Benue State has raised the alarm of a strange sickness ravaging part of Igedeland which has claimed the lives of four people.
The sickness according to the group is ravaging Oye Obi in Obi Local Government Area of the State
In a “Save our Souls” letter by a group signed by its president-elect, Andyson Egbodo, the strange sickness had within the past two weeks killed four people namely; Happiness Ogbu, Onah Ogbedu, Andy Edu and Wisdom Agwo.
Egbodo said that the victims developed the same symptoms of headache, vomiting, internal heat, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach.
It read in parts, “The sickness has so far killed four persons in two weeks. The four victims namely; Happiness Ogbu, Onah Ogbedu, Andy Edu and Wisdom Agwo.
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“They developed the same symptoms of Headache, Internal heat, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Stomach ache, Weakness of the body and swollen stomach and died alike.
“Our investigation revealed the health authorities in Oju have been briefed. Igede National Youths Council is calling on the Benue State government to as a matter of urgency do all within its powers to arrest the situation.
“We are not resting on our part in the area of mass mobilisation and awareness campaign on how to prevent it’s spread.
“Our investigation reveals that about six more persons as at today, Wednesday, 29 January 2020 are already down developing the same symptoms, some of them have already been moved to General Hospital, Oju.
The group called on members of the State Assembly, National Assembly, government appointees of Igede extraction in the State or Federal Governments to help in arresting the ugly development.
When contacted, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Sunday Ongbabo, who confirmed the strange sickness
said that the ministry had sent focal person there to investigate the situation and ascertain the nature of the endemic.
The commissioner said, “We have declared a state of emergency on those kinds of strange diseases in the state, put surveillance tracking down all the diseases and see how we can treat them.
“We are also in touch with national disease control Abuja and the World Health Organisation to come to our aid so that we can identify the disease and enable us to protect others.
“We are just suspecting what is happening there because we have not actually tested the people to know the actual thing that is killing them.
“We are trying to curtail it, avoid it’s spreading. So far, three persons have been confirmed dead.
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