By FOLASADE AKPAN

The Federal Government has said the strange flesh-eating disease responsible for seven deaths in Malabu, Adamawa State, is not Buruli Ulcer as initially suspected by health authorities.

Dr Adesigbin Olufemi, Acting National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis, Buruli Ulcer and Leprosy Control Programme, confirmed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

Olufemi said that all 22 specimens sent for laboratory confirmation of Buruli Ulcer tested negative, effectively ruling out the bacterial skin disease as the cause of the outbreak in Malabu.

He said further investigations were ongoing, led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), to determine the true nature of the illness.

According to him, some of the ulcer cases may be due to chronic trauma, especially as the affected community is largely agrarian and exposed to repeated injuries and infections.

He noted that possible causes could include diabetic ulcers, venous ulcers, trauma-related wounds, or even tumors, highlighting the need for continued diagnostic investigations and surveillance.

Olufemi confirmed that no new deaths had been reported, but the number of identified cases had increased from 67 to 82 following expanded awareness and active case finding in the community.

The increase, he said, followed intensified community sensitisation efforts, which enabled more people to seek help and report symptoms linked to the strange disease.

NAN reports that in September, the Federal Government initiated laboratory investigations to determine the cause of the flesh-eating disease that had emerged in Malabu, prompting nationwide concern.

As of Sept. 10, 67 cases had been recorded, with eight patients receiving surgical treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH) in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.

According to medical reports, the disease typically begins as a small boil, then bursts open and progressively eats away at surrounding flesh, in severe cases even damaging underlying bones. (NAN)