A strange sickness has reportedly killed four persons in Obi Local Government area of Benue State.

The strange sickness, according to the President elect, Igede National Youth Council, Andyson, Iji Egbodo, is currently ravaging Oye-Obi community, a boundary settlement between Benue and Cross River states.

Egbodo in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday evening said the sickness has so far killed four persons, namely, Happiness Ogbu, Onah Ogbedu, Andy Edu and Wisdom Agwo, within the last two weeks.

He said all four victims developed the same symptoms of headache, internal heat, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach and died alike.

“Our investigation revealed the health authorities in Oju have been briefed. Igede National Youth Council is calling on the Benue State government to as a matter of urgency do all within its powers to arrest the situation.

“We are not resting on our part in the area of mass mobilization and awareness campaign on how to prevent its spread.

“Our investigation reveals that about six more persons as at today, Wednesday, 29 January, 2020 are already down developing the same symptoms, some of them have already been moved to General Hospital, Oju,” he said.

The President elect therefore called on “all members of the state assembly, national assembly, government appointees from Igede kingdom either with Benue State or Federal Government to as a matter of urgency to do all in their power to fight the dreaded sickness whose name we are yet to get from medical experts,” the statement said.

Confirming the outbreak, Benue State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr. Sunday Ongbabo, said the state government was already aware if the strange sickness and had promptly mobilized focal persons to the area to investigate and ascertain the nature of the sickness.

“Yes, we are aware of the strange disease killing people in Obi local government area of the state. We have sent our focal person there to investigate the situation and ascertain the nature of the endemic.

“We have declared state of emergency on those kinds of strange diseases in the state. We have also put surveillance to track down all the diseases and see how we can treat them,” he said.

The Health Commissioner, who disclosed that three persons have been confirmed dead from the strange illness, said the state was already in touch with National Centre For Disease Control Abuja and World Health Organisation (WHO) to come to its aid especially in terms of identifying the disease and protect others from contracting it.

“We are just suspecting what is happening there because we have not actually tested the people to know the actual thing that is killing them.

“We are trying to curtail it to avoid it spreading. So far, three persons have been confirmed dead from the strange sickness,” Ongbabo said. (The Sun)

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