6th September, 2019
Alhaji Mohammad Inuwa, the Head of Water, Sanitation and Health in Kirikasamma Local Government Council of Jigawa denied media reports of an outbreak of a strange epidemic in Gubusun village, Jigawa, Nigeria.
A recent media report declared that the purported strange epidemic had killed one person in Gubusun.
Inuwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kirikasamma that only cases of malaria were confirmed in the village.
“There is no any epidemic in Gubusun and the report that one person died of a strange disease in the area is completely false. What actually happened was that the village was hit by a devastating flood that washed off several buildings and contaminated food and water. Normally, when this occurs, you can’t rule out malaria because the village will become mosquitoes infested,” he said.
Inuwa said a team of medical personnel had since been dispatched to the village to help victims of the flood.
The Primary Health Care Manager in the area, Alhaji Usman Abdullahi, who led the medical team, told NAN that over 71 persons received treatment for minor illnesses including typhoid and malaria. He blamed the accumulation of the various minor illnesses to blockage by the flood which denied people access to health care services.
Abdullahi said he suggested to the council authorities to establish a mobile team of medical personnel who would be visiting patients at the hinterland from time to time.
He called on the state government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the victims with relief materials.