A strange and deadly disease has killed no fewer than 14 people at Ode-Irele in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State.
About four other people affected by the disease have reportedly been quarantined in a special ward within the General Hospital in the town.
Victims of the disease, which was discovered on Wednesday, were said to have woken up blind and dead, a few hours later.
It was gathered that residents mistook the illness for the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, and ran away from its victims.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju, who briefed journalists in Akure, the state capital, confirmed the death of 12 persons.
But, Adeyanju said unconfirmed reports said two out of the four patients undergoing treatment in the isolated clinic died yesterday morning.
The commissioner, who said presentation from the investigations carried out on the victims did not reveal symptoms of the dreaded Ebola, said the state government had moved into the area to curtail the spread of the strange disease.
He explained that there were no cases of diarrhea, vomiting and haemorrhage that are usual the symptoms of EVD.
According to him, preliminary report showed that the dead persons complained of headache and later lost their sight before they finally gave up.
The commissioner, who gave the assurance that government would do everything possible to control the strange ailment, said the World Health Organisation, WHO, and other partners were already involved in the matter.
He said samples taken from the victims had been sent to Lagos for proper investigation, adding that because the source of the disease had not been known, government had been engaging in advocacy to ensure that new cases were reported.
The commissioner advised relations of the victims not to bury the corpse of the affected people at home. He urged them to bury the dead at cemetery and be very careful during burials.
Adeyanju said the State Disease Surveillance Team and volunteers that were engaged during the Ebola crisis had been deployed to the area to control the ailment.
He also disclosed that Personal Protective Equipment purchased by the government to tackle Ebola had been deployed to the area with the handlers.
Source: National Mirror
