A flesh-eating disease outbreak in Adamawa State has infected at least 28 people, with officials warning against reliance on traditional medicine as NCDC investigates.
YOLA — A mysterious disease that eats human flesh and destroys bones has struck Adamawa State, with at least 28 cases confirmed, health officials said on Saturday.
Dr. Suleiman Bashir, Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, told SaharaReporters that specimens from patients have been sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja for further analysis. “Results are expected in the next 10 days. We encourage victims to accept medical treatment rather than rely on traditional medicine,” he said.
According to Bashir, while 28 cases have been identified, only eight patients are currently receiving treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, despite the state government covering costs.
The outbreak is concentrated in Malabu, Fufore Local Government Area, where residents describe the illness as starting like a boil before bursting open, consuming flesh and damaging bones. One victim, Mrs. Phibi Sabo, said, “It started like a boil with pains, later got swollen and burst, then began to eat up the flesh on my leg, damaging the bones and causing serious pain.”
Another patient, Junaidu Adamu, said he had spent over N200,000 on treatment without recovery.
District Head of Malabu, Aliyu Hammawa, confirmed that more than 30 residents had been affected, with some seeking care locally while others remain untreated at home.
The Adamawa outbreak recalls Nigeria’s troubled history with deadly epidemics, from meningitis in 1996 to lead poisoning in 2010, Ebola in 2014, and recurring Lassa fever and cholera.
Experts warn it underscores the nation’s fragile health surveillance system and reliance on traditional medicine in rural areas.
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