Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has so far confirmed eight deaths and over 208 suspected new cases following an outbreak of a strange illness in Sokoto state.

Manager of the centre, Dr. Ibrahim Usman, yesterday, at an interactive session with officials of the state Ministry of Health, said the incident happened at Sabon Birni and Isa Local Government Areas of the state.

Usman said prompt measures were taken by NCDC and the state government to control the spread of the yet-to-be identified disease as samples were taken to NCDC laboratories for analysis.

He stated the illness manifested with symptoms of abdominal disorder, feverish condition, vomiting and sudden weight loss.

Recently, the state Deputy Governor, Idris Gobir, told the visiting Minister of Health, Prof. Ali Pate, that the strange disease had killed many in Isa Local Government Area of the state.

Gobir urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, do the needful with a view to identify and curtail the continued spread of the disease to other areas of the state.

He said the state government had already dispatched a team of experts with medicaments to ascertain the situation and provide first aid to victims, who have contracted the disease.

The NCDC has so far deployed a National Rapid Response Team, NRRT, to work with the Ministry of Health to further investigate the matter.