By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab.
Few weeks after an outbreak of cholera epidemic killed some people in Dekina Local Government, another fresh attack of the epidemic has reportedly killed about 5 persons in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.
About 30 other victims were said to have been hospitalized within the city.
It was learnt that some of the victims were taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja.
Though, the Sole Administrator of the local government, Hon. Lawal Shiru said he could not confirm the casualty figure.
He told this reporter that the case of a child was reported to him.
He said the child was vomiting and defecating excessively and when such things happen, people naturally say it is cholera.
Yesterday, he noted that when he called the mother of the child, he was told the child was diagnosed of diarrhea.
The chairman added that he just learnt that some cases were reported at Kabawa and Hangwan Masara, and he was on his way to the places to confirm the veracity of the report.
But, to check the epidemic from spreading to other places, he said he had ordered the health officers at the local government to go round and fumigate the areas and also chlorinate their wells.
A doctor at the FMC said that at least 5 people had died as a result of the disease.
He said the signs and symptoms which included vomiting, diarrhea, leg cramps, shock, renal failure should be taken care of so that it would not lead to death.
The council boss said: “There is only one death and when we asked about nature of the disease, they said it was severe vomiting and stooling. But since there is no postmortem test, we cannot really know whether it was cholera that caused the death.
“What we are doing as a first step is to put every machinery in motion to control the spread and I have directed the Medical Director of the local government to do all he can with his officers to ensure that the disease is brought under control.”
To prevent the spread of the disease, Shiru said: “In our effort to rid the local government of all forms of water borne diseases, we are starting the chlorination of all wells throughout the local government.
Dr. David Emmanuel of Genesis Hospital, Lokongoma, said when he noticed it, he alerted the a government surveillance officer and that he brought a bottle to collect specimen for laboratory examination.
He said: “We can call it suspected cholera for now because there is no laboratory test to confirm whether it is cholera or not. It is true we had cases of vomiting and stooling that were brought here and we have referred some to other hospitals.”
