New Telegraph

Benue: Strange disease paralyses five college students

Govt orders closure of school

Five students of Vaatia College, Benue State have reportedly been paralysed as a result of an outbreak of a strange disease. The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Joseph Ngbea, however, identified the disease as “Orepa syndrome”.

The outbreak of the disease has compelled the state government to order the closure of the school to curtail its spread. Already, the school authorities had sent notice to parents and guardians to come and evacuate their children and wards.

The affected students hit with the strange illness have been taken to the Benue University Teaching Hospital and Madonna Hospital, both in Makurdi When New Telegraph visited the school yesterday, some parents and guardians were picking their children and wards. Efforts to speak with the management of the school failed as some of the staff seen said a crucial meeting was ongoing. The Health Commissioner, Ngbea, told our correspondent that five students of the school were affected by the strange illness.

The commissioner described the disease as ‘Orepa syndrome”. According to him, the students experienced paralysis. Ngbea said the school was shut to avoid any possible spread. He said: “Five students were affected, three at the Teaching Hospital and one of them is doing well while two others are at Madonna Hospital (a private health facility). “You know that Nigeria is in the process of certification of polio free, now, we saw that some students were having instead of paralysis, it is parasis; not completely paralysis. They are actually doing well. “Since there is no paralysis, polio is completely ruled out. So it is called Orepa syndrome.”

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