A yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria has killed at least 9 people, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Official statistics from the centre shows reported cases in 12 LGAs of seven states — Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Zamfara, Kebbi, Nasarawa and Niger.
According to NCDC, as at January 2, a total of 358 suspected yellow fever cases had been line-listed out of which 230 blood samples collected and sent to the laboratory for confirmation.
There is no specific treatment for the viral haemorrhagic disease which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes and found in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America’s Amazon region.
Yellow fever symptoms include severe headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease can enter a toxic phase in some people, leading to organ failure and death.
Poor sanitation is being blamed for stoking the outbreak, by providing fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
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