How ‘mysterious’ disease killed many in Kebbi

The cause of the death of several people

in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi

State has remained a mystery. While the

state authorities attribute it to the

outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis, the

locals believe it is simply witchcraft or a

Jin spirit that struck.

First, the victims were said to have

complained of severe headache, stomach

pain and high body temperature. They all

died within 24 hours after contacting the

disease.

There are divergent views about the

number of deaths so far recorded with

some putting it at 10, others claiming they

are higher since the disease manifested.

Thus, it remains a source of controversy

even when state officials maintain there

was no death recorded because those

that were brought to Yauri General

Hospital had been treated and

discharged.

Community leaders contacted refused to

talk because they were asked not to by

the Emir of Yauri, Dr. Zayyanu Abdullahi.

However, some locals who spoke to Daily

Trust confirmed that many deaths were

recorded as a result of the disease which

emanated from Kasuwan Albasa (Onion

market) very close to River Yauri, a

tributary of River Niger. The market is

being patronized by farmers from

different states, particularly the

neighbouring Niger State whose locals

transport their farm produce to the

market by canoe.

A resident of Yauri, Alhaji Shehu Wakala

said the death toll has as at Thursday 18

reached 17, saying it was a mysterious

disease because it strikes only those with

links to the market.

A trader at the market, Malam Aliyu

Kesoje, said the disease started

manifesting in the market on Monday,

February 8, when the market was filled to

capacity. ‘I was in the shop when I was

told of the disease. And few minutes later

the market became deserted by traders

for fear of contacting it,’ he recounted,

adding that it was after two days that

people started returning and opened their

shops for business and there had been no

report of such disease since then.

Another onion dealer who spoke on

condition of anonymity confirmed that

four deaths had been recorded in the

market on that fateful Monday. Two of the

people that died were female and two

male, including a pure water hawker and

sugar cane trader. He could not tell the

actual cause of the deaths, but revealed

there were conflicting reports about it

with some saying it was a spirit that

struck, while others attributed it to

witchcraft, and some health workers from

Birnin Kebbi who visited the market said

their investigation showed it was Cerebro

Spinal Meningitis.

He however believed that the disease was

caused by contaminated water from the

river which he said was used by virtually

all the traders for drinking and

performing ablution as it remains the only

source of water in the area and environs.

“We had made several complains to the

local authorities that we need a clean

source of water in the area, but nothing is

done about it. The last time our chairman

complained they said they were looking

for private individuals who would provide

such amenities and manage them, but

that was not forthcoming,” he said.

When contacted, chairman of the traders

association declined to speak until there

was written permission from the Emirate

Council. He intimated that they were

summoned and warned by the council not

to grant any interview to the media unless

there was a written permission duly

signed by the secretary of the palace. The

Secretary on the other hand said it was

the Principal Medical Officer of the Yauri

General Hospital who has been

authorised to speak on the matter by the

ministry. But the Principal Officer declined

to comment on the matter, saying nobody

authorised him to entertain any questions

from the press.

However, a senior medical personnel in

the hospital confirmed that based on the

outcome of their investigation, the

disease was as a result of the outbreak of

Cerebral Spinal Meningitis. He denied that

it was witchcraft or a spirit and revealed

they were on top of the situation.

“I don’t practice witchcraft. I don’t believe

in it. This is what the people out there

have been saying. As a result of the

disease an isolation centre was opened at

Rukuballo which is a few kilometers from

the city,” he said, adding that nine people

who suffered the attack were treated and

discharged at the centre and seven were

presently on admission and responding to

treatment.

He said that there was no death recorded

in the centre and if there was it was it

must be outside the facility. Also, that,

patients were provided with enough drugs

and there was an Abuja based

organization which visited the facility and

promised to support them.

It was observed at the isolation centre

that few people were on admission and

they were managed by only two nurses

who kept sealed lips on the matter.

Sadly, 14-year-old Bilkisu Bala was not

fortunate to be among the survivors. Her

father, Mr. Bala, said his daughter was

among the vendors at the onion market,

selling pure water. He recalled her

breaking the news of the outbreak of the

disease to her grandmother who in turn

asked her not to go there again but she

was adamant. She later complained of

headache, stomach pain, and fever after

returning from the market on Monday

and she was taken to a herbalist who said

she was suffering from spiritual attack

and gave them some herbs. After taking it

she was relieved that night.

But her condition worsened the following

day and her uncle, Mujtafa Bala, was

called after which he decided to take her

to the hospital but she died on the way.

Bala described his niece as a jovial person

who hardly got angry no matter the

gravity of the provocation. He said these

were among the qualities that endeared

her to many people in the area, praying

Allah to grant her Jannatul Firdaus.

The Sole Administrator of Yauri LGA,

Alhaji Aliyu Yalwa who confirmed the

deaths recorded and the conflicting views

about the cause, advised his people to

remain prayerful for God to intervene in

the matter.

Yalwa said he could not give the exact

number of deaths in the area because

they did not occur in the hospital. He

appealed to the state government to

provide funding to enable them curtail the

spread of the disease. On the complaints

of lack of clean water at Kasuwan Albassa,

he said they were aware of the problem

and would do something about it.

Kebbi State government in a statement

signed by Special Adviser to Governor

Atiku Bagudu on health, Dr. Fatima

Mustapha Bunza, said the recent ‘strange’

killer disease in Yauri, Yauri LGA has not

put the state at epidemic threshold. It said

it was caused by Cerebro Spinal

Meningitis, adding that the outbreak was

reported from Yauri town in Yauri LGA on

February 8, 2016 with the additional cases

on Friday 13, making it a total of nine

cases.

It read: “An isolation camp was

immediately established in Yauri and

samples for laboratory investigations

dispatched to the laboratory in Sokoto.”

The statement continued : “Two out of

nine samples tested were confirmed

positive for Nisseria Meningitis Serotype

C.

“One case from Andarai in Maiyama LGA

was earlier confirmed in January. The first

confirmed case was treated and

discharged in January and currently the

two confirmed cases are responding to

treatment at the isolation camp in Yauri.

“With these numbers alone, we are not

yet at the epidemic threshold, but we

should all be on the alert and intensify

surveillance in all our communities as the

government of Kebbi State deploys

proactive measures to forestall escalation

of the situation.”

The statement also revealed that the state

government has already instituted some

measures, which included the state’s

rapid response team and the Yauri LGA

teams which were activated from the first

day of the report. In addition, CSM

Treatment protocol has been shared to all

the Disease Surveillance and Notification

Officers (DSNOs) and some test lumbar

puncture kits were also shared. More kits

are being expected from World Health

Organisation (WHO) country office.

It further intimated that an active case

search supported by DSNOs, as well as

WHO is on-going, including community

mobilisation, advocacy and sensitisation

of traditional leaders in the LGA.

In this regard, Kebbi State government is

working with the Federal Ministry of

Health, National Primary Health Care

Development Agency (NPHCDA) and

Nigeria centre for Disease Control (CDC)

to mobilise support to contain further

spread as well as secure vaccines for dual

purposes of prevention and immunity

within the population, based on available

results and epidemiological history.