About 17 people have been killed in Anambra state, eastern part of Nigeria.
According to Premium times,the affected areas are in the Anambra West Local Government Area of the state which includes Igbedor, Nzam, Umuenwenum Anam and Ode.
Nine of the victims died in Igbedor, while three died in Nzam. Another three died in Umuenwelum, while two died in Ode community.
The type of disease could not be identified as it has cause a bone of contention among various officials of the state who could not give unanimous cause of the death.
A community leader in one of the communities, Cyprian Akpofe, said the community usually experiences cholera around this time of the year. He said he believes the victims died of cholera and not diarrhoea.
His words: “It is pure cholera. All those that died exhibited all the symptoms of cholera before they died. It’s pure cholera. It happens here annually.”
However, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Joe Akabuike, disagreed with the cholera suggestion.
Mr. Akabuike, who led some officials of the ministry to the council area, said the deaths recorded in the area were not due to cholera as being speculated, but diarrhoea.
According to Akabuike, “what we have in Anambra West is not cholera outbreak as being speculated.
“What we have is diarrhoea disease that usually occurs after flooding, characterised by vomiting and other signs but what is important to us is not necessarily the name but the worry that people are dying.
“We are here to tell them that this is a pure environmental challenge. I am here with a team and lots of drugs.”
The Health Commissioner said Governor Willie Obiano had approved money to ensure the situation was arrested to prevent further deaths.
His words: “They should maintain personal hygiene, wash their hands regularly. They died because they seek a solution where it will never come from.
“We will make arrangement to ensure that more drugs are sent to them and immediate construction of a borehole to solve their water needs.
Whatever the cause may be,it would need an urgent intervention from the state with the help of the federal government to curtail it occurrences especially from spreading to other local governments and states.
According to Premium times,the affected areas are in the Anambra West Local Government Area of the state which includes Igbedor, Nzam, Umuenwenum Anam and Ode.
Nine of the victims died in Igbedor, while three died in Nzam. Another three died in Umuenwelum, while two died in Ode community.
The type of disease could not be identified as it has cause a bone of contention among various officials of the state who could not give unanimous cause of the death.
A community leader in one of the communities, Cyprian Akpofe, said the community usually experiences cholera around this time of the year. He said he believes the victims died of cholera and not diarrhoea.
His words: “It is pure cholera. All those that died exhibited all the symptoms of cholera before they died. It’s pure cholera. It happens here annually.”
However, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Joe Akabuike, disagreed with the cholera suggestion.
Mr. Akabuike, who led some officials of the ministry to the council area, said the deaths recorded in the area were not due to cholera as being speculated, but diarrhoea.
According to Akabuike, “what we have in Anambra West is not cholera outbreak as being speculated.
“What we have is diarrhoea disease that usually occurs after flooding, characterised by vomiting and other signs but what is important to us is not necessarily the name but the worry that people are dying.
“We are here to tell them that this is a pure environmental challenge. I am here with a team and lots of drugs.”
The Health Commissioner said Governor Willie Obiano had approved money to ensure the situation was arrested to prevent further deaths.
His words: “They should maintain personal hygiene, wash their hands regularly. They died because they seek a solution where it will never come from.
“We will make arrangement to ensure that more drugs are sent to them and immediate construction of a borehole to solve their water needs.
Whatever the cause may be,it would need an urgent intervention from the state with the help of the federal government to curtail it occurrences especially from spreading to other local governments and states.
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