Delta Govt links mysterious deaths in 2 communities to yellow fever

By Okafor Ofiebor

Delta Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, has said tests conducted to ascertain the cause of mysterious deaths recorded in Ute-Okpu and Idumesa communities in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state came back positive for yellow fever infection.

Briefing newsmen in Asaba, the state capital, on Friday, Ononye said that 22 deaths have so far been recorded with seven active cases receiving treatment in hospitals across the state.

Ononye said laboratory results of the samples collected pointed to the age-long disease.

He, however, explained that the results would be further authenticated at the Reference Region Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal where the samples have also been sent to.

Hear him: “Samples were collected from patients and sent to the laboratory. We have received results and the results point to yellow fever as the 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 for a final authentication from the Reference Regional Laboratory in Dakar”.

He assured that there was no cause for alarm.

Ononye said the State Government was collaborating health-related agencies to step up measures to contain the spread of the disease.

He said: “We have begun immediate outbreak response activities. As we speak, we have informed Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency which usually collaborates 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 everything 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 to tackle what is before us,” he added.

Maintaining that yellow fever usually manifest much more bizarre symptoms than malaria, Ononye said; “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”.

Recall that reports had indicated over 30 youths between the ages of 18 and 25 had died of a strange disease in Ute-Okpu, Ute-Erumu and Idumesa communities within the last three weeks.