Not less than 11 people have been victim of yet to be confirmed disease outbreak in Lagelu Local Government area of Oyo State.
This disease which was said to have been noticed four weeks ago was tagged to be cholera by members of the community.
According to them, the symptoms indicated that report indicated that it was an outbreak of cholera as the symptoms closely compare with the deadly disease.
The state government as at the time of filing this report could not
immediately established the cause as results of samples taken from the victims were still being awaited.
Residents of the community said the first case was recorded at Ariku village, where five people had, so far, been reported dead.
It was learnt that the disease later spread to Lagun village where six persons were confined dead.
The Caretaker Chairman, Lagelu Local Government Area, Mr Kelani Abdullahi, said the cause of the cases was being investigated.
Abdullahi said, “So far, 11 persons have lost their lives to the epidemic, with five persons hospitalised while four persons have been discharged.”
The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Bashiru Bello, said, “The tests carried out on the affected persons are still premature and the samples collected have not confirmed the sickness to be cholera.”
He said surveillance and health officers sent to the local government to take samples and assess the situation reported the poor unhygienic condition and dirty environment in the area.
The lawmaker representing Lagelu State Constituency, Mr Akintunde Olajide, confirmed that a preliminary investigation into the cause of the sickness revealed that it was largely due to lack of access to clean and potable water.
The lawmaker said he had ordered the immediate repair of three of the four boreholes in the communities, in order to give them access to a hygienic water source.
