According to the Bauchi State Ministry of Health, it is still investigating the widely circulated information on suspected Yellow Fever outbreak linked to the famous Yankari Games Reserve. The viral information has been circulated mostly on social media platforms has it that, a strange disease has claimed the lives of some people including students of a tertiary institution from Biu in Borno and Kano states.
Also, the disease which according to the report claimed the lives of a female student and others was said to be characterised by high fever, abdominal pains and vomiting of blood.
In an attempt to establish the veracity or otherwise of the report, a team of epidemiologist from the Bauchi State Ministry of Health have since visited the reserve and communities surrounding the reserve on Wednesday, 4th August, 2019 to ascertain the situation.
The outcome of the preliminary investigation conducted by the team dispatched by the state Government discovered that there was a possibility of a Yellow Fever outbreak which is being investigated.
It further reads “So far, six (6) samples have been collected from suspected cases for testing at the National Reference Laboratory and at Regional Laboratory in Dakar-Senegal.
Additional investigations and other control measures are being put in place by the state with the support of agencies and relevant partners in the state and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control is ongoing...,”
More so, on Thursday, 5th August 2019 stated that findings by Vigil360 found that the Bauchi State Ministry of Health has received reports of a confirmed Yellow Fever case from the Kano State Ministry of Health which was traced to the Yankari Game Reserve.
This development, therefore, called on the general public to remain calm as measures are being put in place to contain the suspected outbreak.
The State government is doing everything humanly possible to safeguard the health of the people.
