An unknown disease has reportedly killed 14 persons in Ode-Irele, headquarters of Irele local government of Ondo state.
The existence of the killer disease in the community has been confirmed by the state commissioner for health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju.
He said several others were on danger list, stressing that the symptoms of the strange disease include headache and loss of sight.
The commissioner said the ministry has swung into action to curb the spread of the disease.
According to him, the cause of the strange disease was still unknown but said samples had been taken to Lagos to verify the cause of the strange illness.
Adeyanju said about four other people affected by the disease in the town have been quarantined in a special ward within the General Hospital, Ode Irele.
However, the commissioner specifically confirmed that the disease was not related to the dreaded Ebola Virus and allayed the fear of the citizenry on the spread of the disease.
He said the ministry has not verified whether the disease is contagious but said the ministry has been working round the clock.
The Commissioner said some personnel have been drafted to the local government area while some Personal Protective Equipments have been taken to the area.
Adeyanju said; “The presentation of the disease is bizarre and this was one of the reasons why the ministry is working round the clock to prevent the outbreak and I am assuring that we will get to the roots within the next 24 or 48 hours.”
He explained that the disease usually affects the Central Nervous System while the person infected by the disease usually lose their sights and die few hours after losing the sight.
Adeyanju said local and international health institutions such as World Health Organisation, Red Cross, are already on ground carrying out investigations on the root cause and treatment of the ailment and called on the people of the area to report any case of sudden death or illness to the officials of the ministry in the area.
He however advised the people of the area not to bury the remains of the affected victims within residential areas since the cause of the outbreak remains a mystery and to curb against the spread.
The Commissioner warned the people against sensationalising issues to avoid creating tension among the people particularly on the social media urging the people to rely on the information from the official sources to avoid creating panic among the people.
A competent source in the community hinted that the death has spiritual undertone stressing that those afflicted by the disease have gone against the spirit of the land which the commissioner however disproved scientifically.
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