Enugu State Government has confirmed the reports of strange deaths in some communities in Nsukka, Isi-Uzo, and Igbo-Etiti local government areas of the state.
Commissioner for Health, Prof Ikechukwu Obi, in a statement on Sunday night, disclosed that the ministry’s Rapid Response Team, LGA Rapid Response Teams, in collaboration with International and National Partners, had visited the communities to investigate the reports and had taken samples for testing.
The statement reads: “Following the confirmed cases of Yellow Fever in Igbo -Eze North local government area of Enugu State and the concerted efforts to control the situation in the LGA by the State Government, Stakeholders and Partners; Federal and International, reports have also been received of ‘strange deaths’ within communities in Nsukka, Isi-Uzo and Igbo-Etiti LGAs.
“The Enugu State Ministry of Health Rapid Response Team, LGA Rapid Response Teams, International and National Partners have also visited these LGAs to investigate the reports and take samples for testing just as was done for the reports at Igboeze North.
“The new set of samples from these LGAs have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory at the Federal Capital Territory Abuja for a thorough and complete examination to determine conclusively the reasons for these new set of reports and the results are expected back early this week.”
The Commissioner condoled with the families that lost their loved ones in the unfortunate development and reminded residents of the state that “Yellow Fever is transmitted through mosquito bites”, and advised people to keep their environment clean and remove mosquito breeding sites around their homes.
He pointed out that “Yellow fever vaccination is not for treatment of yellow fever, it is for prevention of yellow fever.
“If you have been recently vaccinated against yellow fever, you do not need to be vaccinated again. It takes 10 days or more for yellow fever vaccine to start working after you have received it.
“If you or your loved one are not feeling well, please visit or take your loved one to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“Trained Health Workers can recognise most of the diseases of public health importance and know what to do.
Since the outbreak of yellow fever in two communities of Ette Uno and Umuopu in Igbo-Eze North local government area of the state, which claimed 52 lives between late October when the outbreak was first reported and November 2020, Enugu State Government had been battling to contain the disease.
