Zamfara intensifies response to unidentified illness in Shinkafi, Moriki, Zurmi
By IBRAHIM KANOMA, Gusau
Other recommended measures include improved environmental sanitation and access to safe drinking water in the affected communities.
The Zamfara State Government has intensified its public health response to an unidentified illness reported in Shinkafi, Moriki and Zurmi Local Government Areas, following reports of residents developing symptoms of an unknown disease.
This was contained in a statement by signed by Suleiman Isah, the Information and Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Ministry of Health.
A situation report by the state Ministry of Health’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) indicated that 38 cases had been recorded, predominantly among adults in Shinkafi, as of October 29, 2026, with additional cases reported in Moriki.
In response, the ministry has deployed a multidisciplinary emergency response team led by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Yusuf Abubakar Shinkafi, to investigate the situation, strengthen disease surveillance and coordinate emergency response activities in the affected communities.
Reported symptoms include fever, headache, loss of appetite, vomiting, body pains and general weakness. According to the ministry, these symptoms could be associated with several illnesses, including malaria, gastroenteritis and meningitis.
As part of the intervention, the PHEOC team visited the General Hospitals in Moriki and Shinkafi, where it assessed the situation and donated drugs and other medical consumables to support the treatment of affected patients.
The ministry also disclosed that clinical samples had been collected and sent to Sokoto for further laboratory investigations to establish the cause of the illness.
Rapid response teams in the affected local government areas have equally been sensitised to intensify disease surveillance, case identification and follow-up activities in both affected and neighbouring communities.
The ministry identified delayed presentation at health facilities, partly attributed to self-medication and reliance on home-based treatment, as a major challenge that could worsen patients’ conditions.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nafisa Muhammad Maradun, therefore, urged residents experiencing any of the reported symptoms to seek immediate medical attention, avoid self-medication and report suspected cases to the nearest health facility.
She also called for greater community participation in preventing the spread of diseases, stressing the importance of early symptom recognition, timely diagnosis and prompt treatment.
The ministry said it was strengthening community engagement and public health education while working to improve access to healthcare services in the affected areas.
It further recommended improved access to malaria testing and treatment, sustained disease surveillance, adequate supplies of essential medicines and increased staffing at rural health facilities.
Other recommended measures include improved environmental sanitation and access to safe drinking water in the affected communities.
The ministry added that the state government was collaborating with relevant stakeholders and health authorities to contain the situation, strengthen healthcare delivery and prevent further loss of lives.
It further stated that the emergency response team, comprising epidemiologists, disease surveillance officers and clinical experts, was investigating the outbreak, tracing contacts and collecting clinical samples for urgent testing at accredited national laboratories.
The ministry expressed condolences to families who had lost loved ones and wished those currently receiving treatment a speedy recovery.
