About 16 deaths have been reported in Ndungele community, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi state, following an outbreak of yellow fever .
This report was made known to journalists in Abakaliki Friday, by the permanent secretary to the Ebonyi state ministry of health, Dr Chris Achi.
Mr Achi while responding to questions by newsmen said the information came to him through a native of the community after series of mysterious deaths in the area.
He had sensitised the people in rural areas to notify them when they experience strange things in their area.
He said: “Yes that is why we appreciate the community’s early information to the authority especially when they notice that there is unusual happening. We have always insisted that people should make use of our health facilities provided in every 171 political wards in Ebonyi State.
“Incidentally on 15th of July, somebody called me from one of the villages in Izzi local government that the way people are dying in the village that he is suspecting that something maybe wrong, but I called health workers there who said no such case came to their clinic. I send our rapid response team to visit the place lo and behold when they got there it was a case of yellow fever and unfortunately we have had about 16 deaths from the place.
“Some moved to the place, conduct case search those who already had the symptom, we moved them to the health facility at Ndungele and when it is serious we moved some to the virology center here in Abakaliki.
“But the problem about the outbreak was that our people did not believe that they will go to hospital when they experience this yellowness of the eyes, they believe that you can be treated with local herbs that’s why we recorded causalities which should not have been. We have notified federal ministry of health and center for disease control.
“For the past two weeks they have been in Ebonyi state. They also came with drugs and consignment. We are equally doing much to ensure that it does not spread to other to the capital city,” he said.
