16 killed as yellow fever hits Ebonyi

At least 16 persons have been killed in an outbreak of yellow fever in Ebonyi state.

Chris Achi, permanent secretary-designate of the state ministry of health, confirmed the development to reporters in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Friday.

Achi said the outbreak occurred in Ndungele community of Izzi local government area of the state.

He said the health ministry did not receive any report on the incident from the community since July 15 when the case was recorded and this led to the deaths of 16 persons before the ministry’s intervention.

“A member of the community called me one early morning to report deaths of indigenes with the victims dying of same symptoms,” Achi said.

“I informed our health workers and members of the state rapid response team (RRT) and when they got there, they discovered a case of yellow fever with symptoms of yellowish eyes, skin, among others.

“We then moved into the community, notified the federal ministry of health and national centre for disease control and they have been in the state for about two weeks.

“They came with drugs, vaccines and other interventions as some of the patients who could not be managed in the community’s health centre were moved to the General Hospital Iboko.”

The permanent secretary said the victims were also taken to the south-east virology centre in Abakaliki where the samples taken further proved that they died as a result of yellow fever.

“We have adequately sensitised the people that such disease is not treated in herbal homes but in hospitals and that was why it spread rapidly,” he said.

“It is also good for people to aware of events around them as the disease could have been difficult to curtail if it had spread to the urban centres.”

He added that the people had been sensitised on preventive measures about the disease which is caused by a type of mosquitoes called “Aedes Aepyti” found in the tropics and sub-tropics.

He said: “It is transmitted from person to person through mosquitoes although there are forest monkeys that transmit it.

“When the mosquitoes bite monkeys and bite someone in the forest, it will transmit the virus and if it bites another person, the transmission will continue.

“The disease often manifests fever, typhoid among other symptoms and if not detected on time, will affect the blood and the victims will experience renal failure and possible coma.”