The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, says the agency has begun investigating and responding to a strange illness identified in six wards in Sokoto State. 

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Idris explained that the agency has deployed a National Rapid Response Team to work with the Sokoto State Ministry of Health to respond to the incidents, having been notified by the State ministry of health on March 21, 2024, of reported cases of CHILDREN presenting with symptoms which include abdominal distension due to the rapid onset of fluids in the abdomen, fever, vomiting and weight loss from Isa Local Government Area of the state.

He noted that most of the cases are children aged four to 13 years, including some adults from different wards and settlements across the LGA.

The NCDC boss stated that the initial clinical assessment and investigations of the cases admitted – ruled out an infectious origin of the event, necessitating the need to search for other causes, including “heavy metal testing.”