Ivory Coast: Twelve children die of ‘mysterious disease’ in village – ‘We don’t know what’s going on’

Twelve children died of a mysterious disease in the last two months in a village in the central Ivory Coastas reported today by local imgs speaking to AFP.

In Kpo-Kahankro, a few kilometers from the town of Bouake, “we recorded six deaths in December 2022, three until Friday January 20 and another three this Thursday, which brings the total number of dead to 12,” explained Paul Quasi, the president of a village youth association.

The victims ranged in age from 1 to 8 years old. Children, according to Quasi, they suddenly become rigid and start vomiting.

François Kwako Guye, a resident of the village who lost his granddaughter today, only 18 months oldasked the authorities to find “the causes of the evil” and “to stop it”, confirming that twelve children have died since the beginning of December.

Two ministers went to the village in December after the first deaths were reported. Some patients have been transferred to the University Hospital (CHU) of Bouake. “We don’t know what’s going on. The government took samples from the first victims in December and we are still waiting for the results. After today’s three deaths, other patients were also transferred to the Bouake CHU,” said Kouassi.

A hospital img, who asked not to be named, confirmed that sick children from this village were admitted to the Bouake CHU today, as reported by the Athens News Agency.