Jigawa: Strange illness kills 50 under-5 children in 3 months
Astrange illness has killed about 50 children within the last three months while several others are still battling with the disease in GidanDugus village in Dutse local government area of Jigawa State, Daily Trust gathered yesterday.
Checks in the village revealed that the symptoms of the child-killer disease are running of high temperature and bloated stomach which lasts for three to four days before the victim dies.
It was gathered that the victims were within the age bracket of one to five years and that within the period there was a day that three children died in succession within hours.
Bashir Galadima, the son and representative of the village head of Gidan Dugus, said as a result of the outbreak in the last three months, about 50 children died in his community while about 40 others were still battling with the disease.
Galidima said they did not know the source and cause of the disease.
He said the village had not reported the disease to the government and that parents took afflicted children to the nearby health facility in Wangara village, Dutse LGA.
The permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Garba Dandidi told Daily Trust that 39 children died from the outbreak which started in July and that the Ministry only got the information of the epidemic last month.
He said, “We got the information late because the affected community only visits health facility in Kano State being a border village. A total of 39 children died as a result of the disease which broke out in July. The result of blood samples of 10 children from the community indicated that the epidemic was as result of malaria.”