Kano govt. investigating “surge in deaths” – official

The Kano State Government says it has begun investigation into claims that there was a surge in deaths in Kano metropolis.

Dr Tijjani Hussaini, Executive Secretary, Kano State Primary Healthcare Board, told our reporter on Tuesday in Kano that medics were yet to ascertain the medical cause of the said deaths, but acknowledged that the situation had “sent residents panicking”.

“The investigation is prompted by reports that more deaths have been recorded in the past seven days,” Hussaini, who did not state the number of deaths so far recorded, told our reporter.

Hussaini said that the investigation was focusing on the symptoms exhibited by the victims before giving up.

“We want to know the number of persons already dead. We also want to investigate how they died.

“It is when we have a good idea; it is when we get the outcome of the findings that we can properly draw conclusions and brief the public,” he said.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa, who also spoke with our reporter, said that the ministry had embarked on clinical investigation to unravel the cause of the said deaths in Kano metropolis.

Tsanyawa advised residents of the metropolis not to panic, urging them to observe preventive measures and personal hygiene while complying with the stay-at-home order.

“The ministry is aware of social media reports insinuating mass deaths in the metropolis. We will soon address the issue,” he said.

Commenting on the situation, Prof. Isa Abubakar, Director, Centre for Infectious Diseases (CID), Bayero University Kano (BUK), said that the rising number of deaths recorded during the lockdown may not necessarily be linked to COVID-19 pandemic.

Abubakar, who is also an expert in Public Health and Community Medicine, added that the increasing rate of deaths could be attributed to other reasons.