By DAUD OLATUNJI Abeokuta
A traditional ruler in Ogun State name(withheld)  and 103 residents of the State  have been reportedly hospitalised  following the recent outbreak of cholera in Abeokuta, the State  capital.

But, the state government  however,  said the 104  cases recorded  was as a result of  gastroenteritis  attributed to unhygienic condition of the affected areas  and not cholera as being speculated .

Saturday  Vanguard’s findings showed that  the  causalities  cut across age and gender and communities.  Gastroenteritis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the gastro-intestinal track that involves both stomach and small intestine resulting in some combination of diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain. It was gathered that  the areas mostly affected are Ijaiye, Adedotun, Ake, Onikolobo, Ita-Eko among several others communities in the state capital.

Saturday Vanguard’s  visit to the state hospital, Ijaiye and the Federal Medical Centre, (FMC) Idi-Aba, in Abeokuta revealed that dozens of residents are either being hospitalized or treated for the water-borne disease.

One of such on admission when Saturday  Vanguard  visited was a traditional ruler in the state as well as a journalist who was discharged on Thursday.

Although the management of the state hospital insisted that they were yet to confirm the outbreak, a ward had already been created for those on admission as a result of what they called gastroenteritis.

However, at the FMC, the outbreak has been confirmed forcing the management of the tertiary of the hospital to issue a circular.

The State Commissioner  for Health ,Dr.  Olaokun  Soyinka  who addressed  journalists  denied that the epidemic was cholera outbreak, adding that three deaths had been recorded out of 104 cases of

‘’gastroenteritis” listed in Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Odeda and Obafemi-Owode.

The state Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association , Dr.  Olusoji Jagun  said the association got the report of the outbreak, adding that laboratory investigations were still in progress.

Jagun, who linked the outbreak to water contamination, urged the state water corporation to rise up to the situation.