Dare Babalola
At least 28 residents of Adamawa have been infected with a rare human flesh-eating and bone-destroying disease.
The Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Suleiman Bashir on Saturday confirmed this to Sahara Reporters.
According to the medical expert, the outbreak is most pronounced in Malabu, a community in Fufore Local Government Area, where he said the disease begins like a boil, bursts, and gradually eats into flesh, damaging bones.
He stated that only eight out of the 28 identified victims accepted medical treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola.
The medical expert wondered why the affected residents rejected medical care despite that the state government was covering the costs.
Bashir urged residents to seek proper treatment instead of relying on traditional medicine and to report any strange health conditions in their communities promptly.
Bashir disclosed that specimens from affected patients had been sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja for histology and further analysis, with results expected within 10 days.
One of the victims, Mrs. Phibi Sabo, described how the disease started as a boil before bursting and leaving her with an open wound that destroyed her leg bones.
Another patient, Junaidu Adamu, said he had spent over N200,000 on treatment in the last two months without recovery.
The District Head of Malabu, Aliyu Hammawa, said at least 30 persons had been affected, with some receiving care at MAUTH while others remained in local facilities or at home.
The outbreak has raised fresh concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness for emerging diseases and the gap between modern healthcare and traditional practices in rural areas.
