A mysterious and deadly outbreak has claimed the lives of at least 11 children in Gamji Zakarawa village, located in Garko Local Government Area of Kano State.
The illness, which residents say surfaced roughly 14 days ago, is characterized by its terrifying speed killing some victims within minutes of the first symptoms appearing.
“They Die Within Minutes”
Local parents who spoke to Freedom Radio’s ‘Inda Ranka’ program, monitored by Daily News 24, described a harrowing scene of helplessness.
Danlami Reka, a father who lost two children, explained that the illness begins with a sudden, intense fever.
“From the start of the illness to the child’s body collapsing or death, it does not exceed four hours. The child will be crying with a headache and stomach pain, their body gets very hot, and before you know it, they are gone.”
Another resident, Ubaliye Shu’aibu, who lost two children aged 14 and 5, noted an even faster progression. “The shocking thing about this plague is that as soon as a child catches the fever, they die. One of my children didn’t last 10 minutes after falling ill.”
The high death toll is being blamed on a total lack of medical facilities in Gamji Zakarawa. Residents must travel at least 8 kilometers to reach the nearest hospital, a distance that has proven fatal.
Sulaiman Gambo, whose daughter died on the way to the clinic, lamented: “She told me she was unwell at 4:30 PM. By 6:00 PM, we were on our way to the hospital, but because there is no road and the distance is far, she died before we could get there.”
Government Response
The Village Head of Gamji, Malam Yahaya Muhammad, confirmed that he has officially reported the crisis. Following his report, two medical personnel from Garko were dispatched to the village to assess the situation and conduct preliminary investigations.
However, Dr. Abdulwahab Kabir Sulaiman, the Director of the Kano State Center for Disease Control (KNCDC), stated that while the agency is aware of the reports, they are still investigating the exact nature of the disease before making an official statement.
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