Kano community laments govt. inaction as ‘mysterious disease’ kills 30 residents

By Aliyu Inuwa Mansir On Apr 21, 2024

Malaria, Gundutse, Kura local government, Kano State, Village Head, — Malam Isa Jibrin, the representative of the village head of Gundutse, Kura LGA of Kano State

Residents of Gundutse community in Kura Local Government area of Kano State, have expressed displeasure over the failure of the state government to provide assistance amid spread of a mysterious disease that has claimed the lives of no fewer than 30 people in the last one month.

Speaking to SolaceBase during a visit to the community, Malam Isa Jibrin, the representative of the village head, said the community has been grappling with a strange illness for a month and the government has not supplied any medicine to alleviate their suffering.

Jibrin recounted that he knew over twenty individuals who succumbed to the illness.

According to him most of the victims were children and elderly residents and the symptoms associated with this sickness include headaches, stomach pain, and leg pain.

“I serve as the village head of Arewa, and I am currently representing Gundutse village. I have lost three relatives—my aunt and two siblings. As we speak, I am attending the funeral of a neighbour who also fell victim to this illness. Even my wife is sick; she has sought medical attention at the hospital.”

“Despite attending the funerals of more than 20 people in our village this past month, we have received no assistance from the government. We urgently call upon the Ministry of Health to provide medicine for our afflicted residents. Those who have not been affected can be prevented from the disease.”

“What deeply pains us is that the government is aware of this crisis but has not responded positively. They visited our village and collected water samples from two boreholes, yet they have not returned with any results. The sickness is new to us. Why haven’t they provided medicine? To us, this is not a common ailment; our people are dying.”

“Thankfully, the death toll has decreased recently, but we implore the government to administer vaccinations to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy.”

Idris Shehu Gundutsu, a former Kura Local Government House leader, echoed the community’s suffering.

“Despite alerting the government about the sickness, they failed to take action. The representatives from the Ministry of Health later came, but it is late—many lives have already been lost.

“When the sickness was at its peak, nobody came to our aid. We do not blame anyone for this outbreak; we believe it is a test from God. However, the government must conduct a thorough investigation to understand the root causes. They seem uncertain about the type of sickness—today it’s typhoid, tomorrow it’s malaria. The symptoms we’ve observed include headaches, stomach pain, and leg pain.”

“Most of those who died reported headaches before their demise. By the time they reached the hospital, it was too late.

“When government representatives visited our village, we pleaded with them to provide medicine for those still battling with the strange sickness, but they never returned.”

Malam Sale Gundutse, the founder and head of the popular Islamic school at the village “Tsangaya,” mourns the loss of five of his students due to this illness.

“Five of my students, under my watchful eye, have tragically lost their lives, and an additional twenty are currently hospitalized. We have been waiting for the government to intervene and provide us with medicine, but for over a month, they remained inactive. Recently, they collected water samples from our community, yet no action has been taken to address the crisis.

“We implore the government to come to our aid. I oversee more than two hundred students, and despite visits from the chairman and councilors, as well as health professionals arriving at the eleventh hour, nothing has been done—no medicine, no vaccinations.

“The symptoms of this sickness that I’ve observed include headaches, leg pain, and stomach discomfort. Our students are suffering, and we urgently need the government’s assistance in providing medicine.”

Sa’adu Rabiu, another resident of the village, expressed his frustration with the health professionals’ actions.

“They closed the two major boreholes in our community, which serve as the primary water source. However, this decision is unfair. We have over two hundred water sources, including boreholes, wells, and various streams. Why restrict their investigation to only the boreholes when there are other potential sources, such as the streams?

“Furthermore, I doubt the accuracy of their results. The samples taken from the two boreholes may not be sufficient. Perhaps the disease originates from the community’s streams, which they neglected to test.

“To make matters worse, they haven’t even provided practical guidance for treating the sick. I personally spent over thirty thousand naira on treatment before my relative recovered. But what about those who lack the financial means? This is likely why we are experiencing such high casualties.

“For nearly a month, no one took action. Only recently did a government representative visited, yet they have not provided any solutions for treating the sick.”

During SolaceBase‘s visit to the Gundutse clinic, a health official, who spoke under anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to journalists revealed that most patients brought to the hospital were diagnosed with typhoid and severe malaria. The case has already been reported to the Ministry of Health.

Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said that the illness currently affecting the residents is not new and should not cause undue alarm.

The commissioner in a statement on Friday explained that the condition is related to the current heatwave in Kano.

“Following an investigation by our team dispatched to the affected village, it has been determined that the villagers are suffering from malaria.”

Dr Yusuf said an investigation revealed that there is no cause for panic, as the illness is merely a case of severe malaria.

He urged the public to take preventive measures against mosquito bites and to maintain cleanliness by clearing all drainage systems.

Additionally, he advised residents experiencing changes in their health to seek medical attention promptly to prevent the progression to severe malaria.

He emphasized that most of the fatalities reported have been due to the severity of the illness, which can impact vital organs such as the brain, liver, and kidneys. Therefore, it is crucial for residents to visit the hospital whenever they observe any health challenges.