About 45 persons have reportedly lost their lives due to an outbreak of a mysterious illness in Gundutse village, Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.
It was gathered that the victims, mostly women, children, and elderly individuals, exhibited symptoms such as malaria, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
Residents expressed concerns about the sudden increase in deaths over the past two weeks, initially attributing them to common illnesses.
However, the situation became alarming when the community started burying five people daily, indicating a more significant health crisis.
Abu Sani, a resident who lost two children, said his family initially thought it was malaria affecting his two-year-old son, who sadly passed away despite medical intervention.
He said a week later, another family member fell unconsciously and also succumbed to the illness before reaching the hospital.
Another resident, Hajara Abubakar, who took her son to a local clinic for treatment, said, “For over two weeks now, people have been dying here from an illness we are yet to know. So far, I know of 40 people who have died.”
Health officials at the Gundutse clinic told our reporter during a visit that 20 deaths had so far been documented.
One of the health workers at the clinic, who preferred anonymity, said they had already reported the incident to the state’s Ministry of Health and that water and blood samples had been collected for laboratory analyses to determine the exact cause of the outbreak.
While the residents await the test results, they speculate that poor environmental hygiene in Gundutse village could be a contributing factor.
As a precautionary measure, the local government council closed one borehole, prompting residents to use well water instead.
The interim chairman of Kura Local Government Council, Yahaya Tijjani Kura, acknowledged the illness but disputed the death toll, stating that only three children had died.
However, the councillor representing Gundutse ward, Dauda Abdulhamid Gundutse, mentioned three to five deaths of children and ongoing treatments for others affected.
Despite conflicting reports, a visit by our correspondent to the cemetery in the company of some locals revealed 35 fresh graves, including six for children, contradicting the lower figures provided by local authorities.
When contacted, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said he was yet to receive official reports from the local government health officers but added that the investigation was ongoing to ascertain the real cause of the deaths.
