Following an epidemic of cerebrospinal meningitis in three local government areas in Yobe State that claimed the lives of twenty people, the state government also isolated 206 people.

This came to light on Monday after Gombe State’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Habu Dahiru, revealed that the state has lost six people to the fatal illness.

Sulaiman Gimba, the spokesman for the Yobe State Ministry of Health, announced on Thursday that the state has recorded 20 deaths in the local government areas of Potiskum, Fika, and Fune.

According to Gimba, the casualties were students at the Potiskum Local Government Area’s Science Technical College, Government Girls Science Technical College, and Federal Government Girls College.

In order to stop the disease’s spread, he claimed, the Yobe State government has ordered vaccinations with an eye toward starting a statewide immunization program.

Gimba said, “On the directive of the state governor, apart from a statewide media sensitisation on the disease, the state Ministry of Health has deployed 20 medical personnel to work with all the medical personnel of the Potiskum General Hospital and the three primary health centres in the three LGAs to manage the situation.

“An urgent statewide mass vaccination campaign has already been programmed, and will commence as soon as the state takes delivery of the required drugs. The order for the drugs has already been placed.”

In a swift response, he said, the state’s commissioner of education, Dr. Muhammad Idris, his permanent secretary, the executive secretary of the state’s Science Technical Board, and the chairman of the Teaching Service Board were ordered to relocate right away to Potiskum.

“Immediately after the outbreak claiming the lives of the 20 students, Governor Mai Mala Buni directed the state Ministry of Education to temporarily relocate to Potiskum for swift response,” Gimba added.

According to the Gombe State health commissioner, the unusual disease that was supposedly sweeping the state was actually caused by cerebrospinal meningitis, which is why the people who lost their lives had that condition.

According to Dahiru, tests conducted on samples taken from Nafada and Funakaye in a lab verified that CSM was the fatal illness.

“Positive cases from Funakaye are two, 20 are negative. Results are being awaited for seven. Number of mortalities recorded six  five in Nafada, one in Funakaye.

Abdullahi El-Rasheed, a congressman for Gombe State’s Dukku/Nafada Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, had voiced concerns earlier in the week regarding a weird ailment that had killed 30 people in Gombe State.

However, the health commissioner rejected the assertion on Thursday.