Unknown illness: Benue commissioner links deaths to contaminated water

Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Sunday Ongbabo, on Thursday linked the deaths of four persons in Oye-Obi community in Obi local government area of the state to the consumption of chemically-contaminated water.

Daily Trust had earlier reported that the President-Elect, Igede National Youths Council, Andyson Iji Egbodo, had raised an alarm on Wednesday night that four persons in his area died from unknown sickness while 15 others on admission were showing similar symptoms.

Ongbabo has however disclosed to our correspondent by telephone that the four people died as a result of contamination from their source of water.

He stressed the need for the villagers to immediately look for alternative source of water for their domestic use.

The commissioner also confirmed that some of the patients have been brought to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi for close monitoring.

He urged residents of the community to stop using the water for domestic purposes, as according to him, “we are at the community right now as I speak to you; we have transferred those who are down with the sickness to the teaching hospital for thorough monitoring.

“Since the victims showed same symptoms particularly, diarrhoea, we have advised the people to stop using their source of water because the water is likely contaminated.

“However, we will take the water for analysis before we can arrive at anything, but right now, we have advised them not to use the water or fish from there.”