Aio White
18/11/2020
11:07GMT
Over 50 persons have been said to have lost their lives to a strange
illness in Olamaboro Local Government area of Kogi State.
It was reliably gathered that the disease which is still unknown comes with
symptoms such as headache, red eye, loss of appetite, inability to
urinate or defecate, convulsion, and finally death.
The lawmaker representing Olamaboro Constituency in the Kogi State House of
Assembly, Honourable Ujah Anthony Alewo who disclosed this in a motion of
urgent public importance presented at the floor of the house on Tuesday said it
was sad and quite disturbing that the residents of Etteh Community in Olamaboro
Local Government Area of Kogi State were thrown into confusion by the outbreak
of an epidemic alien to them.
Although the lawmaker maintained that the causes of the disease are still
unknown, he noted that the infected patient dies within one week of contracting
the disease.
According to him, “more worrisome, all efforts to get solutions using the
local herbs and treatment at local health centres with referrals to neighboring
clinics and hospitals at Ogugu and Okpo in Olamaboro respectively was not
successful.
“The reports reaching my constituency office from the community leaders
confirmed that over 50 people within the economic and productive age of 25 to
40 years died from September to date.
“Thereby stalling agricultural, social, and economic activities which directly
affect the food security of the agrarian and artisan Etteh people.”
He prayed that the house should mandate its Committee on Health and Social
Services for an on-the-spot assessment of damage to lives and properties to the
people of Etteh Community.
The lawmaker added that the House does write a strongly worded resolution
mandating the Honourable Commissioner for Health to direct medical experts to
the affected area to unravel the cause of the epidemic and treat accordingly.
Alewo, in his prayers, urged the house to do a passionate appeal to the
State Government to send palliatives to the affected areas to cushion the huge
loss incurred by Etteh Community.
Seconding the motion, the lawmaker representing Dekina Biraidu Moses Ododo
stressed that, the lives of people in the community need to be urgently saved
as it will adversely affect the economic input of the agrarian community to the
State.
The Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Mohammed, in his submissions hinted that the
Community shares boundary with Enugu State, and as such there is a need for
urgent action to avert further loss of lives.
He suggested an additional prayer that the State Government should construct
a Hospital in Etteh Community to avert and tackle the future occurrence of such
an epidemic.
Ruling on the motion, the Speaker, Mathew Kolawole, asked for a minute’s
silence for the lives lost due to the attack of this epidemic, adding that, the
House should write to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja for support.
SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2020/11/18/strange-disease-kills-over-50-in-kogi-state/
