Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=38679
Strange disease kills 13 children in Borno
By Abdulkareem Haruna Senior Reporter, Maiduguri
About 13 children have died and 14 others are in hospital following the outbreak of a strange disease that shares the traits of mumps in Kimba village, Borno State.
The children died within the period of seven days when their lower jaws and necks swell as though they were infected by mumps and then died after some few days.
Dr Edward Dika, the Principal Medical Officer of Biu Council, said most of the killed children did not make it to the hospital as the parents resorted to traditional medication, until it degenerated to near epidemic levels.
He explained that but for the quick intervention of the Biu Council which ordered the immediate evacuation of all the affected children to the Biu General Hospital more would have died.
Council Caretaker Chairman, Yusuf Adamu, said the people took the outbreak for granted; "instead of taking the first infected child to hospital they sought the services of a Wanzam (traditional surgeon) who merely made some marks on the inflamated area and the inflammation reduced. But it wasn?t the same to others who died after some few days.
?We had to rush down to Kimba village, a distance of about 30 kilometres away from Biu to force them to take these children (13 of them ? one was later added on Tuesday), to General Hospital Biu for intervention.
"We also quickly released the sum of N160,000 to the Primary Healthcare Department for the procurement of all the prescribed drugs for their treatment."
Edward said the lack of capacity of the Biu General Hospital in carrying out laboratory tests and the fatality rate make it difficult to conclude that the disease is mumps.
Strange disease kills 13 children in Borno
By Abdulkareem Haruna Senior Reporter, Maiduguri
About 13 children have died and 14 others are in hospital following the outbreak of a strange disease that shares the traits of mumps in Kimba village, Borno State.
The children died within the period of seven days when their lower jaws and necks swell as though they were infected by mumps and then died after some few days.
Dr Edward Dika, the Principal Medical Officer of Biu Council, said most of the killed children did not make it to the hospital as the parents resorted to traditional medication, until it degenerated to near epidemic levels.
He explained that but for the quick intervention of the Biu Council which ordered the immediate evacuation of all the affected children to the Biu General Hospital more would have died.
Council Caretaker Chairman, Yusuf Adamu, said the people took the outbreak for granted; "instead of taking the first infected child to hospital they sought the services of a Wanzam (traditional surgeon) who merely made some marks on the inflamated area and the inflammation reduced. But it wasn?t the same to others who died after some few days.
?We had to rush down to Kimba village, a distance of about 30 kilometres away from Biu to force them to take these children (13 of them ? one was later added on Tuesday), to General Hospital Biu for intervention.
"We also quickly released the sum of N160,000 to the Primary Healthcare Department for the procurement of all the prescribed drugs for their treatment."
Edward said the lack of capacity of the Biu General Hospital in carrying out laboratory tests and the fatality rate make it difficult to conclude that the disease is mumps.