The Sokoto State government is investigating the deaths of seven family members from a rural community. They reportedly died after eating meals made from cassava.
The state’s Ministry of Health has collected samples of the meal, cooking utensils, and ingredients. These have been sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) office in Sokoto, which will transfer them to the NAFDAC laboratory in Kaduna for testing.
Nuhu Dogodaji, the state’s Epidemiologist, shared the update with PREMIUM TIMES, saying, “We have collected all the samples we need to run a test. We took blood samples from family members who were alive, a piece of the soup, the pot, and the spoon. We also visited the farm where they harvested the leaves and took samples for testing.”
The Ministry is also sending blood samples from surviving family members to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for further analysis.
