The Nasarawa State Government has deployed health personnel in response to the deaths of five children in the Gidinye community in Obi Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.
Gidinye, a community in the Jenkwe Development Area of the local government, is home to thousands of able-bodied men and women, including children.
Chronicle NG reports that the children, who were between the ages of five and 15, died after complaining of stomach aches, vomiting, and purging on Monday and Tuesday.
The Nasarawa State epidemiologist further commiserated with the families for the untimely death of their children and assured them that she and her team would leave no stone unturned to unravel the actual cause of the children’s death.
Speaking on the incident, the publicity secretary of the Migili Youth Association, Samuel Akala, said the children had left home alongside their parents to their farms close to the Keana Local Government Area when they suddenly fell ill.
He urged the Nasarawa State Government and all the relevant authorities to swiftly look into the matter to contain the situation and save the lives of other children in the area.
He said, “We lost the five children in less than 24 hours in the same community. The children left home for the farm. While on the farm, one of them started complaining of stomach ache and started vomiting and purging at the same time.
“Within a short time, he began to have difficulty with his breathing, and when he was rushed home, he died. The other children had similar symptoms and died.
“The case is still on the increase, and we have yet to discover the cause of their deaths.”
He stated that the circumstances surrounding the children’s sudden deaths necessitated forensic investigations and suggested that the Centre for Disease Control and the Primary Healthcare Development Agency be invited to conduct disease surveillance in communities near Obi and Keana LGAs where there have been reports of acute diarrhoea, vomiting, and child death in recent days.
While underscoring that the community was interested in learning the true causes of the five children’s untimely deaths, Akala urged authorities to move quickly to find a solution to the problem in order to prevent the unknown disease from infecting a large number of the area’s people.
