Mysterious disease In 24 hours 18 people died

In Nigeria, at least 18 people have died from a mysterious disease. After symptoms such as headache or blurred vision, patients die within 24 hours. Researchers are puzzled. Ebola or other known viruses could be excluded as triggers.

Known viruses could be excluded as triggers
According to authorities, 18 people in Nigeria have died from a mysterious illness. Chief of the Ondo Health Department, Dayo Adeyanju, said AFP reports that another five people are ill. Affected initially suffered from symptoms such as headache, blurred vision and unconsciousness. After the onset of the disease, they die within a day. As spokesman for Ondo's administration said, laboratory tests have excluded Ebola, Lassa fever or other known viruses.

Attack on the central nervous system
The disease broke out earlier this week in the city of Ode-Irele in the southeast of the country in the state of Ondo. Commenting on the Nigerian newspaper Premium Times, Dayo Adeyanju said the unidentifiable disease appeared to be an attack on the central nervous system. The newspaper said the state used emergency response teams and set up a situation center. Gregory Hartl, spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the symptoms of all those affected started between 13 and 15 April.

Population called for hygiene measures
As the "world" reports, experts are now trying locally to understand the course of the disease and to find the point of the disease outbreak. The enigmatic illness is apparently limited to one region and does not spread further. The authorities have called on the population of the region to pay particular attention to hygiene and to consume food and drink only from reliable sources until the cause of the disease is known. The WHO claims to have information on 14 cases with at least 12 deaths. It was reported that blood and urine samples had been sent for examination to the University Hospital in Lagos.

Rare and unrecognized diseases
It is not at all so rare that diseases occur whose causes are not known at first. There are even centers for undiagnosed and rare diseases at various German hospitals such as the University Hospital Ulm or the University Hospital Marburg. A mysterious disease that claimed thousands of lives was reported earlier this year from Sri Lanka. In the urine of patients, among other things, increased cadmium and pesticide residues had been found. Researchers suggest that intensive use of chemicals in agriculture could be responsible for the enigmatic kidney disease. (Ad)

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Picture: PhotoHiero