Kaduna — No fewer than 50 children have died in Zaria, Kaduna State, due to an outbreak of measles in the past three days. Of the lot, one Mallam Magaji Garba of No. 56 Sarki Street lost seven of his children to the epidemic.

Medical experts in the state yesterday said it was the worst case to be recorded in the area in a very long time.

In Jushi, a settlement in Zaria, Garba who spoke in Hausa to THISDAY said: "It is true that we have lost seven children to the epidemic. They all died within three days of the outbreak in our area. I have never seen a worst case of this disease in my area and some people are even moving away from here."

Similarly in Kofar Doka, investigations revealed that children get infected within hours of the outbreak of the disease.

Mustapha Shehu, who resides behind the Zaria prison in Kofar Doka, told THISDAY that the community had so far recorded 10 cases of the epidemic out of which three had died.

At the Institute of Child Health, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kwarbai in Zaria, a lot of the patients observed at the hospital were seen to have symptoms of the disease -- high fever, rashes on their body and loss of appetite.

A mother, who had brought her two-year-old daughter to the hospital with the complaint that she had fever and rashes on her body, was informed by the doctor that her daughter had died of measles before she got to the hospital.

The mother, Asiya Garba, amidst tears said: "We could not sleep last night so I decided to bring her to the hospital so that she can get the necessary medical attention. I got to the clinic and bought the card only to be told that I have been backing a lifeless baby."

The National President, Residents Doctors Association, Dr. Bature Seidu, said he was surprised that the outbreak could be at this time of the year as the weather was a bit cold.

He said there were reports of the epidemic, adding that members of the association were putting in their best to reduce the number of deaths as well as ensure that the spread was curtailed.

According to him, the number might be higher especially in the rural areas as most of the people living in the areas had not reported the cases to the appropriate authorities.

A matron at the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Mrs Hajara Yahaya, who spoke to THISDAY said the clinic had never recorded such cases in over 15 years.

"It may be attributed to either poor immunisation or poor nutrition." According to her, immunisation is very important because it can boost the immunity of children against the epidemic.

She appealed to the authorities to ensure stiffer penalties for parents who deliberately refuse to immunise their children.

She also claimed that the disease was claiming the lives of children in rural areas due to the absence of medical facilities and the nature of habitation pattern in the villages.

When THISDAY called at the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Peter Yari's office, an official said he was out of the country.

A source at the Kaduna State Ministry of Health disclosed that the state government was aware of the problem.

He said the ministry was taking steps to combat the epidemic, adding that the requisite drugs were presently being sent to all hospitals and primary health care centres across the state.