The Senate on Wednesday mandated the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Arbovirus and Vector Research Centre (NAVRC) to investigate strange ailment killing people hourly in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
This followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abba Moro (PDP – Benue South) at the plenary presided over by Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
Moro said the strange ailment suspected to be yellow fever, had killed over 70 people in Epello-Otukpa and Itabono-Owukpa communities of the local government.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Moro said over 30 people died in Epello-Otukpa with another 26 in Itabono-Owukpa while the death toll increases hourly and the disease spreading to Ichama in Okpokwu where three deaths had been recorded.
Moro, in the motion, stated, “The strange ailment has not yet been effectively diagnosed by health authorities, adding, however, that the state Ministry of Health and Human Services has been able to intervene to some extent having collected samples and sent to the National Reference Laboratory for possible interim treatment.”
Contributing, Senator Sabi Abdullahi (APC Niger North), stressed the need for the government to investigate the strange ailment with a view to knowing its causes and proffering a solution to it.
The Senate, accordingly urged the Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH; National Arbovirus and Vector Research Centre, NAVRC, to investigate each case and respond to the outbreaks.
It also urged the FMOH to mobilise focal persons to the area to quickly complement the efforts of the Benue State government to ascertain the nature of the ailment.
Similarly, it advised the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to promptly put up surveillance to contain the disease and see to the treatment of victims and protect others from further contacting it.
The Senate also urged the FMOH to immediately activate and set up a multi-agency yellow fever emergency operatives centre in Benue South, should the result is positive for yellow fever to conduct mass vaccination and awareness campaigns in the district.
