The Enugu State Government has confirmed that Yellow Fever is the cause of deaths from a reported strange illness in Ette Uno and Umuopu communities of Enugu Ezike town, Igbo-Eze North.

Health commissioner Ikechukwu Obi said the disease was confirmed through verifiable diagnostic tests. He explained that yellow fever is not a new disease, adding that it is one of the diseases controlled in Nigerian set of routine and mass immunisable diseases.

A suspected case is anyone with a sudden onset of fever who develops jaundice (yellowness of the eyes) within 14 days. It is verifiable by diagnostic tests. It was not immediately clear how many lives have been claimed by the disease across the two communities.

Mr. Obi said the state’s ministry of health has called for an immediate emergency operations centre meeting with representatives from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He invited other implementing partners in the state to articulate specific next steps to effectively respond to and control the disease.

“We are collaborating with the federal ministry of health and with nearby states to prevent its spread within Nigeria.

“The General Hospital, Enugu Ezike, and other hospitals in the state are prepared to provide the supportive treatment needed for yellow fever.

“It is transmitted by the aedes or haemagogus species of mosquitoes, causing symptoms within 3 – 6 days of infection, which range from a mild febrile illness in some individuals to a more toxic illness that can unfortunately lead to death in others.

“Only 15 percent of infected persons enter this toxic phase.

“This is a time to continue in earnest the hygienic practices that we have become used to due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while now improving our environmental hygiene practices.

“Keep our surroundings clean and free of overgrown bushes, ensuring that we do not allow containers and gutters around us to collect water for long periods which allows mosquitoes to breed.

“We should protect our homes by screening doors and windows with nets, and ourselves by sleeping under mosquito nets and wearing clothes that limit mosquito bites,” the official said.

 (NAN)