The governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has directed the State Ministry of Health to curtail the outbreak of yellow fever in some communities in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the State.
The directive which follows media reports of the death of two persons in the area, confirmed that the ‘strange’ viral disease that afflicted some communities in Uhunmwode local government area of the State, to yellow fever.
Recalled that news of a strange disease was reported to have hit Igieduma, Ehor and other villages in the local government, which allegedly claimed several lives.
The Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, in a statement, said that following media reports of the death of two persons in the area, after exhibiting symptoms such as vomiting, high fever and stomach pain, the Governor directed the State Ministry of Health to curtail the outbreak of yellow fever.
“The Governor is disturbed by the development and has directed the Commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, to deploy experts in the ministry to the communities affected by the illness,” the statement said.
Osagie added that the Governor has promised to mobilise additional resources, if the need arises, to support the ministry of health to enable it establish the cause of the illness and death of two persons in the area.
According to the statement, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. David Osifo, who dismissed claims of a strange disease, said: “there is no such thing as a strange illness in Edo State.
“We have identified yellowness of the eyes and related symptoms, which led us to the conclusion that the illness is yellow fever. We are on top of the situation and will curb the spread of the disease as directed by the State Governor.
“We have deployed a team of experts to the communities and the result of the initial tests showed symptoms of cases of yellow fever.
“They tested negative to Lassa Fever. We are doing contact tracing and sensitising people in the communities to clean up their environment.”
