By Augustine Okezie, Katsina
The Katsina State Primary Health Development Agency (PHCDA) said yesterday in Katsina that it was awaiting confirmation from the samples taken from victims of the suspected mysterious epidemic in Matazu Local Government. It said laboratory tests would be done in Kaduna to determine the identity of the illness, which has claimed 18 lives.
The agency has dispatched a team comprising doctors, nurses, health educators and disease surveillance officers, among others, to the local government to find the victims of the illness and give them medical attention.
PHCDA Executive Secretary Dr. Shamsuddeen Yahaya told The Nation exclusively that the team has curbed the spread of the illness and restricted it to Matazu,’A’, Kogarin, Shayaya and Kharadua wards where it was initially reported.
It could, however, not be ascertained whether more deaths have been recorded besides the 18 initially recorded.
When The Nation met earlier with some health officials at Matazu yesterday, we were told to direct our enquiries to the headquarters of the agency in Katsina, which we did
Residents at the local government headquarters told The Nation that many victims brought to the General Hospital, Matazu have been treated and discharged.
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Dr. Yahaya, however, insisted that the true identification of the illness was yet to be ascertained.
He said: “We have taken additional samples, making the total number of samples taken to be 24.
“The results of the initial five samples we have so far received were negative and we are still awaiting the results of the remaining samples.
“The samples we initially took to Lagos have been routed back to Kaduna. All we are waiting for is the result.
“This notwithstanding, we have sent additional drugs to the council, while our team is doing its best to ensure that the illness does not go beyond the wards where it has been reported.”
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