Six confirmed dead after eating abacha in Lagos

Six persons have been confirmed dead in Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State after eating contaminated cassava delicacy, otherwise known as Abacha, a local food of the people of the South-East geopolitical zone.

Speaking on the development on Thursday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who briefed newsmen on the development at the state’s secretariat said that 39 other persons  were under observation and receiving treatment  at public and private health facilities in Isolo.

He said: “Six deaths were recorded among the 45 cases. Majority of the patients did not present with the classical rice-water stool, rather they presented with atypical diarrhoea and vomiting.

“After a thorough analysis of the ano-rectal swabs that were collected from 15 cases at the Public Health Laboratory, Yaba, vibrio cholerae was confirmed and found to be the Ogawa strain of the virus.

“Twenty-two of the 26 that were being managed at the Isolo General Hospital and the Lagos Mainland Hospital have been discharged, one died, while three are still on admission at the Lagos Mainland Hospital. The three patients are still on admission but they are in stable condition.”

The commissioner noted that water and food analysis done at the Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory showed that Abacha, a local salad, that was eaten by many of the victims, was the source of the infection.

Idris said, “The main suspected source of infection is the salad called Abacha, a staple food that is consumed regularly in the area. Samples of the local salad and the well water they consume in the area revealed the presence of vibrio cholerae, Salmonella species and E.coli in Abacha and the water sample taken from one of the two wells in the area.”