The Senate has raised the alarm over the outbreak of a strange epidemic in the Oye-Obi Local Government Area of Benue State.
It has, therefore, urged the Federal Ministry of Health to immediately mobilise focal persons to the area to investigate and ascertain the nature of the disease, which has so far claimed 15 lives.The Senate urged the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to promptly put up surveillance to contain the disease, see to the treatment of victims and protect others from contracting it.
The Senate reached the resolutions following the consideration of a motion brought to the floor by Senator Abba Moro (PDP – Benue South) during plenary on Thursday.
According to him, the first set of victims of the epidemic outbreak are Happiness Ogbo, Onajobi Ogbedu, Wisdom Agwo, Andy Edu, all of whom died 48 hours after contacting the undiagnosed disease.
He added that the disease, which is yet to be diagnosed by health authorities and medical experts in Benue State, has symptoms such as headache, internal heat, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach ache, weakness of the body and swollen stomach.
“As of Monday, February 3, 2020, the number of persons affected with the strange epidemic has risen to one hundred and four,” Senator Moro lamented.