A recent wave of deaths has overtaken Kano state as 180 people have died in the last four days, raising concerns among the populace.
Although Kano State currently has the third highest number of Coronavirus cases in the country with 73 infections, health workers in the state say the deaths are not related to the virus.
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A medical personnel at the Murtala Muhammad specialist Hospital, Kano said most of the deaths were related to other diseases like diabetes, Malaria, hypertension, typhoid and anaemia.
Kano locals however attribute the deaths to poverty induced hunger and lack of attention. Zage, Kano Municipal, Tarauni, Gwale, Kurna, Dala, Chiromawa, Zango, Kofar Mata, Fagge, Kumbotso, and some local government areas outside the metropolitan like Bichi, Kunchi, Wudil, Gwarzo, and Shanono have all been affected by the wave of deaths.
A cemetery security man at farm centre said he has buried 17 people over the last four days. He has never experienced something like this since he started the job four years ago he said.
10 people were also buried at Dandolo on Tuesday as the casualty numbers rose.
The Executive Secretary of Kano State Primary Healthcare Board Tijjani Hussaini said the cause of mass death in the state was yet to be ascertained.
The investigation is prompted by reports that more deaths have been recorded in the past seven days. We want to know the number of persons already dead. We also want to investigate how they died.
“It is when we have a good idea; it is when we get the outcome of the findings that we can properly draw conclusions and brief the public.” he said.
The Chief Medical Director of Nassarawa Hospital said the deaths occured in densely populated areas of the state making the number of deaths pretty insignificant.
“We don’t have the baseline information, but considering the high population size of Kano, the increase in the deaths is not significant.
“We should also take the time of the occurrence of the deaths into consideration. The time happens occasionally. So it is subjective to judge when a case happens within just three days. To me, this is not a serious problem because it happens sometimes. So I appeal to people to be calm.” he said.
The Kano State Government said it has activated a WHO instrument to get reports of deaths from communities. Officials have also been dispersed to cemeteries in the state to ascertain the number of dead brought in for burial everyday.
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