At least, twenty-nine people have died in Bauchi state following the outbreak of yellow fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes.  

Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHDA), gave the death toll on Thursday, November 7th.

“We discovered 224 suspected cases, and 29 were confirmed dead, with 24 in Alkaleri local government, two in Bauchi local government, 1 in Darazo council area and two in Ningi local government,” he said.

Mohammed explained that the virus was first detected in Alkaleri council area in September, adding that efforts had since been stepped up to avoid further spread. He said that government was doing everything possible to ensure that the disease did not spread to the state capital.

“That is why government has made efforts through vaccination of people living in the prone areas. Already, 500,000 doses of vaccines had been administered in Alkaleri and we are expecting 600,000 doses of vaccines to be administered in Ningi community,” he said.

According to the BSPHDA chairman, yellow fever is not a communicable disease, adding that it can only be transmitted through mosquitoes.  He urged communities to give early information to the authorities, especially when they noticed unusual happenings around them.

Mohammmed also urged the residents of the state not to reject vaccines, saying that this was the only way they could be free from the dreaded disease. The “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice that affects some patients. Symptoms of yellow fever include fever, headache, jaundice, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.