Ondo Deaths; No Viral Infection Known To Science, Community Appeases To god

“My dear good people of Ondo State, We have witnessed in the last few days a major health challenge.

“A yet to be named ailment whose causative agents, diagnosis and cure are also yet to be determined struck in locations in Irele Local Government Area of our State, killing 17 people and stoking panic and fear.

“I am, like you, saddened by this losses and the attendant fear of what looks like an epidemic.

“I can only bring words of consolation to the families of the deceased and words of comfort and assurances to the good people of our dear state.

“Our prayer at this hour is that God grants rest to the dead and fortitude to the living.

“Fellow citizens, we have, as a government, taken all necessary and available actions to respond to this health crisis.

“Amidst conflicting and confusing information, the investigating team of experts sent by government to the area gathered that all the casualties died within hours of affliction. In all, 17 deaths have been confirmed in Ayadi Community and Ode Irele township and all the deaths were preceded by symptoms of sudden blurred vision, headache and loss of consciousness.

“It must be said that the team was despatched to the communities affected and the General Hospital as well as other health facilities, to gather needed information about the nature, scope and circumstances of the outbreak. Key informants interview, hospital record search and patient interview were used to obtain information.

“I must state that the symptoms in this situation are not peculiar to any known epidemic and so have remained largely confounding.

“Specifically, it must be stressed, the symptoms observed in the two communities of Ayadi and Ode Irele bear no resemblance to those associated with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).