A week ago, ‘Strange Disease’, as termed by the NCDC surfaced in Zamfara, and left in its wake loss of lives, mostly, children. In neighbouring Jigawa, similar disease afflicted residents in their numbers. So also, in Bauchi, Adamawa, Kebbi, Kaduna and Sokoto. Yet, the NCDC termed it strange.
Ogbodo Ozioma Favour Investigates the nature, causes, potential impact, spread of this disease and why it is still strange?
500 Reported Casualties And 13 Death Tolls
In April, the strange disease afflicted hundreds in Kaduna State, and travelled to Sokoto state where it left sorrow, tears and blood. The toll is rising.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is still struggling to appropriately name the disease ravaging communities in Zamfara State.
Zamfara State with its diverse landscape, rich in agriculture, densely populated area of over 3,278,873 population following 2006 conducted census, It has its capital at Gusua but not without challenges which involves not only banditry but terrorist attack from Boko-haram crisis and constant health challenges.
Prior to the emergence of this Strange disease, Zamfara State has been struggling with various health challenges including; cholera, meningitis and according to data from Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) public health officials learned that over hundreds of children become sick in Northern Nigeria, Zamfara State.
Characteristics of this Strange Disease
According to the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aisha Anika, it is disclosed that the characteristics are, abdominal distension, accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, fever, and general body weakness
Response and Effort Initiated to Contain it’s Spread
According to a report by the Nigeria Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (NCDC). The Ministry of health said an emergency response to phase the illness and causes is being carried out.
“Various biological human and animal samples, soil samples, water samples, agricultural and food stuffs samples have been taken to Lagos and Abuja for analysis”
This resonates with the spread of COVID 19. From a town in Wuhan, China to countries all over the world, leading to over 7,010,681 deaths tolls according to worldometer data and lockdowns of countries.
The question remains, how long will this nameless illness keep spreading and effecting citizen and yet, remained unnamed?
NCDC
The situation reports of this Strange disease may be more apart from what is being reported. Dr. Dangan Jonathan, a public health specialist echoed while stating that it’s apparently advisable that NCDC is accorded all the required time needed in order not to make mistakes while stating the importance of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and revisiting policies to curtail the spread of this disease.
“Sometimes health is not rocket science is not the way politics work you see, this is not health is not plug and play.This is people’s life that is a stick.
Alarming
So, similarly long distance of waiting is that you know, you have to run tests at different sub levels you know, to be able to ascertain that what you have said, or what you have discovered, or what you’re seeing is what you’re going to say, You don’t expect, you know, the health experts, you know, to come out to say, Oh, we’re seeing malaria.
“And then of course after two days to say no, sorry, it is a fever.
“I will unequivocally say that it is discovered in Zamfara. But I can tell you that the neighboring states, especially settlements around are not also immune to this reality.
It is an alarming state because this is where the issue has been detected, but the states are not exempted from this reality.
Now, that being said,
“So, it is apparently similar looking long because you know, what needs to be done to ascertain the reality of it.
“And I can understand the impatience that does exist among people.
But we must also give kudos to the government for giving kudos to help professionals because definitely, we are not where we used to be. We are not where we want to be.
So, that that being said, of course, should be who you know, swing into action to intervene. I don’t think in my personal opinion, they can lend some support.
But the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, in my personal opinion, is capacitated enough to be able to deal with this issue.
“And then of course, these cases of 500.
Remember, this is just detectable ones there are possibly other people who have not been in the catchment net.
So give or take. We may have double of what you’re reporting as the reality there is.
“Of course, the campaign and the outcry of wash, water sanitation can never be underestimated. And this is simply because between 70 to 80% of diseases that come frontman they are all water related in one way or the other. So personally, hygiene is really, really more important than ever before. It is time for us to scale up our campaigns with sanitation.
It is time to scale up our campaigns.
“On revisiting some policies, you know, that will enable this for instance, a primary school should not exist. If she doesn’t have a water source of supply where children can go and wash their hands. You know, flowing water flowing water so of course, so far, it is a double barrel attack.
Now you have an outbreak, and at the same time you have insecurity.
“And by the way globally today, there is a new mantra that we’re talking about something called health security or security. You may want to look at that word from at least from my point of view, but I want to tell you that even the literal point of view is not out of place because when we begin to see security as a health stress, it also aids in the spread of diseases.
It helps in the spread of diseases.
And I’m sure that it is important that we begin to look at concerted efforts of how these issues and this issue question can be tackled”.
