At least 15 people have been killed and more than 50 others hospitalized in Tanzania by a terrifying mystery that is causing patients to vomit blood, according to reports.
Some of the patients, mostly men, died within hours of developing symptoms in the southern Mbeya region, reports The Sun.
Felista Kisandu, the local medical chief, said a team of experts had been sent to assess the patients and investigate the cause of their illness.
“This problem is not widespread,” Kisandu said. “It happened in just one administrative department of Ifumbo where people vomit blood and die when they arrive at the hospital late.”
She said the cause of their illness had not yet been identified, but that the Tanzanian Ministry of Health had “ruled out an outbreak”, according to the outlet.
“Initial clinical trials have revealed that patients, mostly men, have suffered from stomach ulcers and liver disease,” Kisandu said. “We advised them to avoid drinking illicit brews, smoking cigarettes and drinking other hard drinks.”
Authorities tested water samples and blood from patients for traces of mercury contamination.
Meanwhile, Tanzania’s health minister Dorothy Gwajika has ordered the suspension of Kisandu after she made her remarks.
“To create unnecessary panic among residents, I order Dr Felista Kisandu’s employer to suspend her for investigation by the Medical Council and submit the report to me within ten days,” Gwajika said.
Government officials said similar symptoms arose in the area in 2018 when people suffered from high fever and nausea and vomited blood, according to The Sun.
The news of the mysterious illness comes about a month after President John Magufuli claimed that COVID-19 had been stopped in its tracks – by the power of prayer.
“Corona in our country has been removed by the forces of God,” he said on January 9, six weeks after the government stopped the virus data in public.
The number of cases remains at 509 for six weeks, although the opposition figures estimate that the actual numbers could be tens of thousands.
The population is being asked to use herbal remedies in an effort to combat the deadly bug by boosting immunity.