Finally, Cause Of ‘Mystery Deaths’ In Delta Communities Linked To A Known Disease

At last, the cause of the reported strange death in three communities in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta state, have been discovered.

The deaths of 22 persons in the communities have been linked to yellow fever, Delta State Government said on Friday.

Reports say about 30 persons between the ages of 18 and 25 had succumbed to a strange disease in the last three weeks in Ute-Okpu, Ute-Erumu and Idumesa.

But the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye who confirmed the cause of deaths  on Friday, said that the death recorded was about 22 with seven cases being managed at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba.

Dr. Ononye, said laboratory results from samples collected pointed to yellow fever as cause of deaths.

The health commissioner who was flanked by his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Charles Aniagwu and the state Director General of Orientation Bureau, Eugene Uzum, said the result would further be authenticated at the Reference Region Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal where the samples have also be sent to.

According to him, the authentication results are expected in the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, Ononye said health officials have already mobilise for immediate outbreak response activities, urging residents not to panic, as the state government was collaborating with health related agencies to step up measures to contain the spread of the disease.

“Samples were collected from patients and sent to the laboratory. We have received results and the results point to yellow fever as cause of deaths we heard of in those areas.

“The result we have received is helping to move us to a more definitive action, while we still wait a final authentication from the Reference Regional Laboratory in Dakar.

“We have began immediate outbreak response activities. As we speak, we have informed Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Primary Healthcare Development Agency which usually collaborate with us, and that is why they have sent teams to support us.

“We are taking definite lines of action to have an effective response. We assure residents that every thing is being done to ensure that it does not escalate.

“Before now, there was a planned yellow fever preventive campaign to begin November 20, we are moving it closer to enable us tackle what is before us,” he added.

On the symptoms of the disease, Dr. Ononye said yellow fever usually manifest much more bizzare symptoms than malaria.

“Some patients are with fever, body pains, headache, vomiting with or without blood. Some begin to bleed from the nose or mouth. Some of those we have just convulse and some recover very well even without coming to the hospital,” he explained.