Mysterious’ disease kills 17 in Nigeria
A “mysterious” disease that kills patients within 24 hours has claimed at least 17 lives in a southwestern Nigerian town, the government said Saturday.
“Seventeen people have died of the mysterious disease since it broke out early this week in Ode-Irele town,” the government spokesman for Ondo state, Kayode Akinmade, told AFP by telephone.
The disease, whose symptoms include headache, weight loss, blurred vision and loss of consciousness, killed the victims within 24 hours of their falling ill, he said.
Laboratory tests have so far ruled out Ebola or any other virus, Akinmade added.
The World Health Organization said it had information on 14 cases with at least 12 dead.
“Common symptoms were sudden blurred vision, headache, loss of consciousness followed by death, occurring within 24 hours,” spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email.
Akinmade said health officials and experts from the government and aid agencies, as well as WHO epidemiologists, have arrived in Ode-Irele.
“Outside a total of 17 deaths recorded, in the past 72 hours we have not recorded new cases. There is no patient of the disease in any hospital and the disease has not spread beyond the town,” he said.
Jasarevic said blood and urine samples had been taken from two victims and cerebrospinal fluid from another.
“All samples have been sent to Lagos University Teaching Hospital this morning, and results are still pending. Investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
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9 Comments
Watchout for the new chemical warfare attack in Nigeria by the pharmaceutical industries.Where are the Nigerian spies??They must quickly find out those spraying out those evil sprays in the air and injecting those people with those diseases quickly.Nigerians wakeup now!!!!
Mr Kayode Akinmade , Ondo State is in southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria and not Southeast as quoted .Shine your eyes.
Meningitis?
That sounds like a viral encephalitis with rapid demyelination. Those in contact with the deceased youths should be quarantined. It must be a mutant viral serotype which we can name ODEIRELE VIRUS OR VIRAL SEROTYPE.The blindness is likely due to a damage to the cerebral cortex affecting orbital gyri ,temporal ,parietal and occipital cortex, the death ,most likely is due to cerebral edema with tonsillar herniation and “coning” of the brain stem ….Dominic Akpan, MD
This grammar and analysis should be in ondo state and not in pages of newspapers,be a volunteer and save lives.
Even if i read it from now till next year a can´t do nothing as its not my field so better go and help your people don´t wait for money .
This grammar is too much o. I beg break it down to manageable size.
This is a very worrisome situation anywhere, especially as it kills within 24 hours. The reference to Ode-Irele, Ondo state, being in the southeast of Nigeria should be corrected. The AFP erred there. Ondo state is in the southwest.
please guardian point of correction ondo state not southeast
Is it south east or south west? CARELESSNESS!
We will review and take appropriate action.