At least 15 people have reportedly died and more than 50 people have been hospitalized in Tanzania for a terrifying mysterious disease that causes patients to vomit blood.
Some of the patients, mostly men, died within hours after developing symptoms in the southern Mbeya region of the country, The Sun reported.
Felista Kisandu, the local chief medical officer, said a team of experts has been sent to assess patients and investigate the cause of their illness.
“This problem has not been widespread,” Kisandu said. “It has happened in a single administrative room in Ifumbo where people vomit blood and die when they arrive at the hospital late.”
He said the cause of his illness has not yet been identified, but that Tanzania’s Ministry of Health has “ruled out an outbreak,” according to the media.
“Early clinical examinations revealed that the patients, mostly men, were suffering from stomach ulcers and liver disease,” Kisandu said. “We have advised them to avoid drinking illicit drinks, smoking cigarettes and other hard drinks.”
Authorities were testing water and blood samples from patients to detect traces of mercury contamination.
Meanwhile, Tanzanian Health Minister Dorothy Gwajika ordered Kisandu’s suspension after making her statements.
“To create unnecessary panic among the residents, I order Dr. Felista Kisandu’s employer to suspend her to pave the way for the Medical Council’s investigations and to present the report to me within ten days,” Gwajika said.
Government officials said similar symptoms arose in the area when people suffered from high fever and nausea and vomited blood in 2018, according to The Sun.
News of the mysterious illness comes about a month after President John Magufuli claimed that COVID-19 had been stopped on its way, by the power of prayer.
“The crown of our country has been removed by the powers of God,” he said on January 9, six weeks after the government stopped publicly updating the virus data.
The number of cases remains at 509 for six weeks, although opposition figures estimate that the actual figures could stand at tens of thousands.
The population has been urged to consume herbal remedies to try to fight the deadly insect by boosting immunity.