No fewer than 28 people have been infected by a rare disease in Adamawa State.
The disease eats away human flesh and destroys bones.
According to Sahara Reporters, Dr. Suleiman Bashir, Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, confirmed the outbreak on Saturday.
Bashir said 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.
He disclosed that while 28 cases had been identified, only eight victims accepted medical treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, MAUTH, Yola, despite the state government covering the costs.
The medical expert urged residents to seek proper treatment instead of relying on traditional medicine and to report any strange health conditions in their communities promptly.
According to the report, the outbreak is most pronounced in Malabu, a community in Fufore Local Government Area, where residents say the disease begins like a boil, bursts, and gradually eats into flesh, damaging bones.
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.
