The World Health Organization is looking into the cause of mysterious deaths of at least 18 people in a southwestern town in Nigeria this week. According to reports, the deaths were linked to pesticide or weed-killer poisoning.
WHO Spokesperson Gregory Hartl posted in a Tweet, "The current hypothesis is cause of the event is herbicides." He added, "Tests done so far are negative for viral and bacterial infection."
Those who succumbed to the poisoning in Ondo State suffered from blurring of vision, headaches, weight loss, and loss of consciousness. Eventually, they died within just 24 hours from the onset of their symptoms, reports Business Insider.
The spokesman of Ondo State, Kayode Akinmade dubbed the disease as a 'mysterious disease,' and it created panic among their constituents due to fears of another infectious and deadly disease like Ebola that ravaged their country last year.
Meanwhile Ondo State health commissioner, Dayo Adeyanju told BBC News that 23 people have been affected by the disease and he reiterated that health officials and experts have arrived in the place to investigate the disease.
Series of tests were done at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, as confirmed by the WHO. At the mean time, private agencies and other government agencies are trying to look into the deaths to determine their cause and how to prevent it from injuring other people.
Nigeria is well-known for agriculture as it is one of the suppliers of food in the African continent. In terms of employment, agriculture is by far the most important sector of Nigeria's economy, engaging about 70% of the labor force.
Aside from poisoning, there are many adverse health effects of pesticide use to the body including some cancers and reproductive problems. According to Toxic Action, pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards, ranging from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine alteration.