10 hospitalised as strange disease hits Kaduna community

• Outbreak has forced many primary and secondary schools to be shut down
• Sample of the suspected victims collected for further investigation into the strange disease
  

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No fewer than 10 children between the ages of 3 to 13 years were reported to have been hospitalised following the outbreak of strange diseases in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It was learnt that the outbreak has forced many primary and secondary schools to be shut down while an investigation was ongoing.

Chairman of the Local Government, Yunana Barde, who confirmed the outbreak, said the strange disease broke out on Wednesday night.

Barde spoke to journalists at the Kafanchan General Hospital on Thursday.

He, however, urged residents not to panic because efforts were being made to contain the disease while commending the General Hospital for providing a temporal isolation centre for suspected cases of the strange disease.

This was just as the Medical Director of the General Hospital, Dr Isaac Nathaniel, said that resuscitative measures were being carried out on 10 suspected victims on admission.

He also added that the sample of the 10 suspected victims had since been collected for further investigation into the strange disease.

He said, “Last night I was notified of the outbreak of what looks like a respiratory tract infection at Ward B community in Kafanchan.

“I quickly dispatched a team of medical and laboratory personnel who got in touch with three of the suspected cases.

“We counselled them to come to the hospital for proper evaluation and treatment after seven more victims were brought in today.

“We are doing all we can, to stabilise them and give them treatment while we carry out an investigation.”

According to him, the suspected victims whose ages are between three and 13, displayed symptoms ranging from sore throat, headache, fever, and difficulty in swallowing and breathing amongst others.

He added that the state epidemiologist and his team were on their way to Kafanchan from Kaduna to ascertain the epidemiologic basis of the outbreak and its spread.

He debunked the news making the rounds that about 10 people had died, noting none of the purported dead bodies had been brought to the mortuary.

“We were notified of some deaths last night but none of the so-called dead bodies has been brought to us. So, it’s all hearsay for now,” he said.