United States: The cases linked to MYSTERIOUS illness have been increasing, which has led to the deaths of approximately four individuals. Amid this time, health experts have outlined that “children are at high risk.”
The outbreak has been noted in Nigeria and the disease has been probed by the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention after the local doctors fail to identify the same.
Amidst the affliction gripping Zamfara state, nestled in the north-western expanse of the nation, afflicted individuals have endured symptoms such as bloating, fluid in the abdomen, an enlarged liver and spleen, and general flu-like symptoms, including fever and general body weakness, as reported by the Sun.
A tally of no less than 177 individuals are presumed to have contracted the infection. The origin of this disease is believed to stem from the water reservoirs within Tsibiri village.
Subsequently, its spread has encompassed numerous other settlements, including Maradun, Shinkafi, and Gusau.
The intricacies of this enigmatic disease were explained within an official proclamation from the regional administration, as reported in the esteemed Nigerian daily Punch newspaper.
Dr Aisha Anka, the regional Health minister, articulated, “Predominantly, children bear the brunt of its impact, with the infections correlating with water ingestion.”
“To date, four fatalities have been documented, alongside the identification of 177 cases.
The Health Ministry presently embarks upon an urgent response phase to ascertain the nature of the illnesses and their causative agents.
“Diverse biological specimens from both human and animal sources, along with soil, water, agricultural, and comestible samples, have been dispatched to laboratories in Lagos and Abuja for meticulous analysis,” according to the Sun.
“The ministry pledges to furnish continual updates to the populace and pertinent stakeholders concerning any developments regarding this epidemic,” she appended.
This development coincides with reports of 45 fatalities attributed to an obscure ailment in Gundutse village, situated slightly east of Zamfara, within the Kano state.
The conundrum persists as to whether this lethal affliction, claiming the lives of women, children, and the elderly, corresponds to the ongoing crisis in Zamfara.
At the zenith of this enigmatic infection, it is purported that the Gundutse community was interring up to five individuals on a daily basis.
Lassa fever
Presently, Nigeria grapples with an upsurge in Lassa fever cases, with the death toll exceeding 150 within the country this year following hundreds of fatalities in 2023.
Lassa fever, an ailment engendered by the Lassa virus, features prominently on the World Health Organization’s roster of pernicious pathogens harboring epidemic or pandemic propensities.
It is endemic to Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Nigeria, with potential existence in other West African territories as well, as per reports by the Sun.
In 2022, three instances were documented in Britain within a family returning from West Africa to Bedfordshire, tragically resulting in the demise of a newborn infant from a viral infection.
The affliction precipitates symptoms including cephalalgia, asthenia, expectoration, emesis, diarrhea, myalgia, and pharyngeal discomfort.
In severe cases, the infection can lead to bleeding from the nose, ears, eyes, and mouth, along with breathing problems, chest pain, facial swelling, and shock.