BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The Zamfara State Government has dismissed reports of an Ebola outbreak in Shinkafi Local Government Area, where about 30 deaths have reportedly been recorded following the spread of an unidentified illness with malaria-like symptoms.

The State Epidemiologist, Dr Ahmad Muhammad Gusau, said authorities were still investigating the disease and awaiting laboratory results to determine its actual cause, warning against spreading unverified information capable of triggering public panic.

Gusau, who spoke on Monday, explained that the state Ministry of Health had dispatched a rapid response team to Shinkafi on Sunday to investigate the reported cases and assess the situation at the general hospital.

He stressed that although several deaths had been reported, it was too early to establish a direct connection between the fatalities and the illness, noting that some of the deceased reportedly had pre-existing medical conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.

The epidemiologist also dismissed reports that patients were being forced to sleep on hospital floors because of overcrowding, saying the medical director of Shinkafi General Hospital confirmed that unused bed spaces were still available.

He further disclosed that no patient with bleeding, one of the major warning signs associated with Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers, had been reported at the facility.

According to him, the patients examined so far had mainly presented with symptoms resembling malaria, prompting health officials to collect samples for further investigation.

Gusau said the samples had been forwarded to the National Reference Laboratory to determine whether the illness was caused by dengue fever, chikungunya or another febrile disease.

He expressed optimism that the results would be available within 24 to 48 hours, adding that the government would not make any definitive announcement until the laboratory findings established the cause of the illness.

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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has supplied Shinkafi General Hospital with drugs, relief materials and other medical consumables to strengthen its capacity to manage the affected patients.

The epidemiologist also disclosed that disease surveillance had been intensified across the area as part of efforts to monitor the situation and prevent any potential spread.

Gusau urged residents to maintain proper environmental hygiene and seek medical attention immediately whenever they developed unusual symptoms, expressing concern over the practice of treating sick people at home instead of taking them to hospitals.

He warned that delaying medical attention could allow patients' conditions to deteriorate, making treatment more difficult and increasing the risk of complications.

The state epidemiologist also rejected allegations that the government was deliberately withholding information about a possible outbreak, insisting that authorities had no reason to conceal an illness as serious as Ebola.

He maintained that the government remained committed to identifying the disease, responding appropriately and protecting residents from further health risks.

As of Monday, however, neither the exact cause of the illness nor the reported deaths had been conclusively established, with health authorities awaiting laboratory confirmation.