The Insight Corner Hub: Mysterious Disease Kills 7 People in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast has been hit by a mysterious disease that has killed seven people and hospitalized 59 others in a village near Bouaké ¹. The disease's origin is still unknown, and the symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea ¹. The victims were mainly children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old ¹. The disease was first reported on Sunday, September 18, 2023, and the victims died on the same day ¹. The Bouaké University Hospital confirmed that five people died there, while two others died in Niangban, a village located about thirty kilometers to the south ¹.

According to Emmanuel Kouamé N'Guessan, the village chief of Niangban, around fifty people were at the Bouaké University Hospital ¹. Zitanick Amoin Yao, the mother of the first victim, claimed to have bought porridge which she gave to her son. After an urge to go to the toilet, she said, "he started to vomit when I gave him the medicine that was given to me at the Djébonouan hospital" ¹. A close friend of the chef, Célestin Kouadio Koffi, indicated that according to rumors, corn porridge was the cause of the contamination ¹.

In February 2023, a similar incident occurred in Kpo-Kahankro village near Bouaké. Two people were sentenced to five years in prison after contamination with clostridium bacteria caused 16 deaths according to an official report and 21 according to villagers ¹.

The government of Ivory Coast has yet to release an official statement regarding this recent outbreak. However, it is expected that they will take necessary measures to contain and prevent further spread of this disease.

Biography:

(1) Mysterious disease kills 7 in Ivory Coast | Africanews. https://www.africanews.com/2023/09/19/mysterious-disease-kills-7-in-ivory-coast/.

(2) Outbreak of Mysterious Illness Claims Lives of Children in Ivory Coast .... https://www.archyde.com/outbreak-of-mysterious-illness-claims-lives-of-children-in-ivory-coast-village-corn-based-porridge-suspected/.

(3) Mysterious illness causes 7 deaths in Ivory Coast | Report.az. https://report.az/en/other-countries/mysterious-illness-causes-7-deaths-in-ivory-coast/.

(4) Mysterious illness causes 7 deaths in Ivory Coast – AzeriTimes. https://azeritimes.com/2023/09/19/mysterious-illness-causes-7-deaths-in-ivory-coast/.