How Benue community regained freedom from ‘strange’ illness

Finally, residents of Oye-Obi community in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State have heaved a sigh of relief over the unknown ailment which reportedly created fear and chaos in the rural settlement following the sudden death of some residents. In January, this year, there had been an outbreak of an unknown ailment which health […]

Finally, residents of Oye-Obi community in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State have heaved a sigh of relief over the unknown ailment which reportedly created fear and chaos in the rural settlement following the sudden death of some residents.

In January, this year, there had been an outbreak of an unknown ailment which health officials battled for nearly four months to unearth its actual cause.

Our correspondent reports that the quiet, remote environs of Oye-Obi came under surveillance by health officials between January and precisely April 8 when the last case of the unknown illness was discharged from the Oju General Hospital.

It was a moment of joy for the people of the area to find freedom at last from an ailment which reportedly claimed at least 16 lives in the affected community.

The villagers however claimed that the death figure could be more than 16 because some victims who never accessed medical care in any facility before they died were not added to the number.

Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Sunday Ongbabo, told our correspondent by telephone that, “There are no clinical challenges right now. Absolute calm has returned to the area.”

Ongbabo said government was doing everything possible to ensure that the people retain their victory over the illness through the provision of good drinking water and environmental hygiene.

To this end, groups and individuals have provided boreholes for the community in the past one month.

Earlier in mid-March, the commissioner posited that there were no new cases as at then when only five people in his estimation were remaining on admission in the hospital.

The health commissioner had said that the preliminary investigation into the ailment showed contamination from the village’s source of water, as he stressed the need for the villagers to rely on an alternative source of water for their domestic use.

He noted that investigations were conducted to ascertain the root cause of the people’s ailment, adding that so far, findings indicated that the bacteria count in the water was high while the result of the toxic level in the water was being awaited.

Ongbabo added, “that’s the toxicology report. They told us that because of the university strike, we’ve not been able to get the final result from Ibadan. I have details at every moment. The strike has affected the release of the final result. We already have results from the autopsy but we don’t want to be too bold on the final results before its release.

“In the autopsy result, we are suspecting that the water is not good. The bacteria in the water was so high. We want to be sure whether it is just the bacteria infection or perhaps, some chemical components.”

However, the president of Igede National Youths Council, Andyson Iji Egbodo, expressed gratitude to God that at last the nightmare over the health challenge in the area was over so that the people can live a normal life again.

Egbodo, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Makurdi, claimed that a total of 34 patients were in bad shape and brought to the General Hospital in Oju LGA from Oye-Obi in March.

He said while following up on them, “Fifty-eight pints of blood went into them. You (donors) brought drugs. You brought food. You prayed for them. You sent money to them. It was at the time the system failed them. People ran away from them for the fear of contracting the unknown disease but I heard a voice saying…”My son, go there! I am with you.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I declare to you that the last of them has been discharged and has returned home today (April 8) alive. Though we lost one of them one week after surgery, I am happy 33 are back home all alive and doing great. I have visited them severally and will still go and see them again soon. The joy that flows from within me whenever I see them is what I can’t describe. I know you all are also happy for what God has done.”

He alleged that the government not only abandoned the people to their fate, for failing to settle their medical bills which it earlier pledged to do, but that it was yet to ascertain the nature of the illness wrecking havoc on the poverty-stricken villagers.

The health commissioner however dismissed the allegation that the state government abandoned the people to their fate, emphasising that the officials of the Epidemiology unit remained on ground throughout the period to provide their expertise while government took care of bills following its laid down procedures.

The youth leader added that apart from the total of 16 deaths earlier recorded when the illness broke, more people had died and the number he could not ascertain at the time of this report.

Egbodo, who earlier raised the alarm to alert health authorities on behalf of the villagers, had disclosed at the time, precisely on January 28, that 15 more people after the death of the initial four with same symptoms were hospitalised in the affected community. “The sickness has so far killed four persons in two weeks. The four victims namely Happiness Ogbu, Onah Ogbedu, Andy Edu and Wisdom Agwo developed the same symptoms of headache, internal heat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach, and died alike,” he had said.

Egbodo added that about six more persons who had developed the same symptoms in the week following his alarm were moved to the General Hospital Oju while the remaining nine which made up the total of 15 on admission were kept at a private dispensary.

The youth leader, who suspected the illness to be Lassa fever, had appealed to the state government as well as relevant health authorities to come to the aid of the people before the illness caused further harm.

Sequel to the alarm, the health officials, the following day, led by the State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Sunday Ongbabo, moved to the area to ascertain the situation with a view to finding solution.

However, the health commissioner on inspection of the sick persons as well as the environment, allayed the heightened fears of Lassa fever outbreak as he linked the deaths to the consumption of chemically-contaminated water.

He noted that preliminary investigation suggested that the deceased comprising of two adult males, one female and a five-year-old boy, as well five other hospitalised patients, who manifested similar symptoms consumed substances from a polluted water source.

He also confirmed that some of the patients were initially brought to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) Makurdi for close monitoring while the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) immediately responded to the affected area.

While the sickness wreaked havoc, some reports alleged that the community’s source of drinking water traced to the Oyongo River was poisoned with Gamalin, and those affected may have consumed fish from the pond, while another story suggested that the people who died presented symptoms of Lassa fever.

Interestingly, the villagers now have their lives back again, with the last patient discharged from hospital and that is all that matters to them.