The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed that consumption of contaminated alcohol (gin) was responsible for the disease ravaging Ondo state.
It would be recalled that the unknown disease has already killed 18 people in Irele community, Ondo state. Medical science has however not proved the source of the disease yet.
Latest reports however show that a substance called methanol found in a local gin was responsible for the outbreak of the disease.
Speaking on the issue, the Minister of State for Health revealed that the disease was no way related to Ebola Virus as earlier speculated.
“A preliminary laboratory investigation indicates that the outbreak cannot be attributed to any infectious organism, bacterial or virus. The outbreak is also clearly not due to Ebola virus disease as feared by many at first. Epidemiological findings indicate a strong linkage of the outbreak to a consumption of a local gin that had been contaminated with methanol, a poisonous material. At this stage, the particular poisonous substance is being ascertained. The results of this very detailed investigation currently been conducted by the government and our partners are still being awaited and will be made public as soon as possible,” he disclosed.
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