Barely three weeks after the reported case of an outbreak of cholera in Birnin-Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State, the disease has spread to other parts of the state, resulting in the death of hundreds of people, especially children.
Casualties from the ravaging disease, estimated to be in hundreds, have been recorded lately in the entire 14 local government areas of the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Sule Adamu, who spoke on a phone-in radio p rogramme , “Mu duba mu gani” monitored in Gusau, the state capital, by our correspondent, confirmed that the disease had covered all the 14 local government areas of the state.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health had been duly notified and had responded accordingly with necessary drugs for the treatment of the patients.
But independent investigation by our correspondent at Rawaya town in Buhgudu Local Government Area revealed that rampant cases of the disease were reported at Baya-Wuri, Yarshenawa, Dango and Marke.
At the Rawaya dispensary, one Shiitu Marke, who was waiting on a child, claimed that three of his children had died and the fourth child, who had also been infected, had been rushed to the dispensary for medical attention.
“I lost three of my children to the illness, and the one on this hospital bed was the fourth child affected by the disease.
I lost three of my children to the illness, and the one on this hospital bed was the fourth child affected
In fact, about 30 people died in one of the affected villages,” he added. According to him, the symptoms of the illness are abdominal pain, headache, fever, cough, diarrhoea and general body weakness.
Marke noted with concern an alleged lack of seriousness from the local and state governments to control the menace.
The Director, Primary Health Care, Alhaji Rabiu Dankurmi, confirmed the receipt of the report of the outbreak of the disease. Dankurmi added that his council sent drugs to the district heads, instead of health centres.
According to him, when the council received the report of the outbreak, a team of medical personnel was constituted to educate people on sanitation and other health related sensitisation.
He said that necessary investigations were being carried out at the state Ministry of Health with a view to ascertaining the nature of the ravaging disease.
