Strange disease kills scores of children in 3 Yobe LGAs
Story from Kasim Isa MUHAMMAD, Damaturu
The residents of Yobe State are gripped by pandemonium following the outbreak of a strange disease that had wreaked havoc and claimed the lives of children under the age of 20 in Potiskum, Fika, and Nangere Local Governments Areas.
Neptune Prime has learned that the alleged outbreak is characterized by severe headaches, progressing to affect the bodies of young children, ultimately resulting in fatalities.
A pall of sorrow hangs over Nabeela Dauda, a resident of Bolewa A in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State. Her voice trembles under the weight of her ordeal as she recounts the tragic loss of her younger brother to the devastating disease. Struggling to hold back tears, she describes how the illness began with a headache and later immobilised her brother’s legs, leaving him barely able to stand.
Sitting down, clad in a hijab that accentuates her grief-stricken face, Nabeela recounts the devastating experience of her 17-year-old brother, who was on the brink of writing his secondary school leaving examinations.
She explains, “He complained of dizziness and a severe headache on Eid-fitr day. I administered some injections as a medical doctor, but the headache persisted, prompting us to rush him to Potiskum Specialist Hospital, where he tragically passed away.”
Reports indicate that younger children in Unguwa Bolewa A have succumbed to the same symptoms of severe headaches and leg pains.
Ibrahim Mohammed, also known as “errors,” shares his heart-wrenching account of losing his child and nephew, both around 13 years old, to the debilitating illness.
Meanwhile, residents of Arikime in Potiskum describe a surge in deaths among young children in recent weeks, with the outbreak claiming lives on a daily basis.
To verify these claims, Neptune Prime visited the Mamman B. Ali graveyard, where residents bury their deceased loved ones.
Malam Abdulkarim Hassan, tasked with overseeing the graveyard, confirms the alarming increase in deaths among the younger population in recent weeks.
He laments, “We witness more than 70 deaths of young children in a single day, a result of the recent outbreak that begins with a headache and progresses to leg pains.”
Similarly, Malam Usman of Unguwar Jaji graveyard corroborates the rising death toll among young children, attributing it to the outbreak.
In Nangere and Fika Local Governments, while fewer cases have been reported, the impact remains significant.
Chief Nursing Officer Bukar Yerima Bularafa confirms only two cases in Fika, both discharged after treatment. However, Dahiru Musa Talba, an ad-hoc staff with UNICEF, reports recent deaths in Nangere mostly attributed to Diphtheria and Meningitis.
Neptune Prime observes a disturbing pattern of incessant deaths among younger ones in Arikime Area of Potiskum and Unguwar Bolewa, among other areas.
The illness typically manifests with a headache and progresses to leg pains.
Despite efforts to reach the Yobe State Commissioner for Health for comment, all attempts have been unsuccessful, with no response to phone calls.
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