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The Minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has disclosed that preliminary medical investigation has revealed that the “strange” disease that had claimed several lives in Benue State is not Lassa Fever.
Speaking yesterday evening in Abuja, Ehanire explained that “for now, medical investigations have not detected the exact ailment, but there are indications suggesting that the chemical substance being used for fishing in the affected community could be responsible. But that is subject to outcome of further investigation.”
Many people were confirmed dead in some Benue communities, particularly in Oye-Obi Council, where 15 deaths were recorded and 104 others infected since the mystery disease broke out on January 29, this year.
The minister explained that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has done preliminary test on specimens collected and result tested negative to Lassa Fever, adding: “However, we have subjected the specimens to further test in our laboratory to know the origin of the disease.”
The Guardian
