Fears as OAU students troop to hospital with similar symptoms

…It’s not a strange occurrence, outbreak nor epidemic – OAU

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State, have expressed fear over an alleged strange illness that pervaded the university campus.

It was reported that no fewer than 75 students have visited the OAU, Ile-Ife Health Centre for suspected malaria treated

Students of the university had last Friday raised the alarm that there was ‘Strange Illness’ on their campus.

CityMirrorNews gathered that majority of the students that fell sick showed the similar symptoms.

Among the symptoms were  headache, stomach ache, body weakness, irritation, fever, vomiting (in some cases), sore throat and loss of appetite.

Visit by CityMirrorNews to the health centre on Sunday February 28, 2016, revealed  that some students were supported by their friends to the hospital for treatment.

Some of the students were also leaving the hospital after receiving treatment.

Acting Director, Medical and Health Services of OAU, Dr. Adedayo Irinoye, explained that though students were sick on the university campus, there was no outbreak.

He said, “If there is any outbreak, we will be the one to first inform the public. Malaria is endemic on the university campus but there is no epidemic. The cause of the students sickness is multi-facet. Some are caused by anxiety of examination coupled with poor nutrition, increase in stress and change of climate”.

“We have doubled our man power and adjusted our roaster to ameliorate the increase in traffic. As we speak, we have not referred anyone to OAU Teaching Hospital. The symptoms are those of malaria and the students get treated before leaving to their hostel in good health. There is nothing strange happening, there is only increase in traffic.”

On his part, the Public Relations Officer of OAU, Mr. Biodun Olarewaju, noted that the situation was not peculiar to the OAU community.

He added, “It is just a kind of reaction to the climate change and it is not peculiar to OAU. We have competent medical doctors and researchers that would have detected if the complains are not ordinary.

“That we admitted 150 students is a propaganda. Our admission beds are not filled up and they are only 14 beds. Everything is under control.”

The university Registrar, Dr. Dotun Awoyemi, described the increase in the population of the students as ‘normal’.