Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Saka Audu, said that the alleged disease which killed many people has been diagnosed to be gastroenteritis.

Recall that the disease left about 62 people dead in Okunran, Okoloke and Isanlu-Esa in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja, Dr.  Audi said that those so far diagnosed were found to be suffering from gastroenteritis and malaria.

“The current information available to us is that the disease actually started six weeks ago in Okoloke village in Yagba West, which is a settlement that is predominantly inhabited Fulani herdsmen.

“There have been cases of reported deaths following abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea, but the patients who showed signs of illness had since been evacuated and transported to Kogi State Specialist Hospital Lokoja, for better treatment.

“So far, we have evacuated 39 patients from Okoloke area and only six of them were admitted and have shown significant sign of improvement while others have since been discharged.

“Out of the six that were admitted, three of them were diagnosed with gastroenteritis and the remaining three were just cases of malaria, and they have shown remarkable signs of improvement,” Audu said.

He also said that the result of samples taken from the patients to Irua General Hospital for investigation proved the disease was not Lassa fever.

“We will investigate and trace the dead people to the graveyard and come up with the correct figure. We want to assure the general public that government is doing all that is humanly possible to stay on top of the situation and forestall further loss of lives. We will continue to inform the public as the investigation progresses,’’ Audu added.