Conflicting Reports Over the Cause of Strange Deaths in Ondo State

In what looks like lack of close communication among the key actors in the effort to unravel the cause of the strange ailment in Ode Irele and Ayadi communities in Ondo State. 

While a statement credited to an official of World Health Organisation (WHO) laid the cause on the insecticide or weedkiller poisoning based on the symptoms and death, the Ondo State Government said the victims died as a result of locally brewed ethanol popularly called ogogoro or appetishi consumption.

On the contrary, however the mysterious ailment that has killed eighteen (18) people out of 23 people affected is neither a viral nor bacterial disease and not a resurrection of Ebola in Nigeria as earlier feared by the people of Irele Local Government in Ondo State.

Reports on the strange deaths revealed that those who had died of the ailment suffer blurred vision and headaches followed by loss of consciousness before they die 24 hours later.

All those affected according on the spot assessment conducted in the two communities by WHO Officials and Ondo State Ministry of Health personnel revealed that they started showing symptoms between April 13 and 15. 

WHO has however denied issuing any official statement linking the health mystery to pesticide and has counseled Nigerians to wait the result of pathological examination of the samples sent to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.

Your bet is as good as mine, until conclusive report is reached about the possible cause or source of killer disease in the two Ondo State communities of Ode-Irele and Ayadi speculations will range on.