Ebola: Excessive Salt Water Consumption Kills Four In Taraba And Three In Bauchi After Salt Water Bathing

FOLLOWING rumors that people should bath with salt water AND drink same for the prevention of Ebola, three people have died after observing the exercise in Bauchi State and four in Taraba after salt water Bathing

The Guardian learn that an aged man in Misau local council and two other adults in Bigi and Gudum Sayawa, a suburb in Bauchi suspected to have hypertension also lost their lives to the unhealthy practice.

An eye witnessed told our correspondent that Mr. Paul Bigi, 74, drank more than two cup of salt and rob some on his body after bathing with the salt water, as he was directed by his children, adding that "it was less than one hour when Baba started watery stool non-stop and he died in the morning around 7am".



While in Gumdum Sayawa, The Guardian gathered that one Mr John Ayuba used one bag of salt in one drum of water for bathing and one bag of salt in one drum of water for drinking because he has a large number of people living in his house and subsequently died of diarrhea and vomiting, a family source said.

Also in Gudum Sayawa, a pregnant woman, Mrs. Hanatu Kushi, was reported to have a miscarriage after taking the solution and she is currently being treated at the ATBUTH .


When contacted the Bauchi State Commissioner for health Dr. Abubakar Sani Malami, dispelled outbreak of Ebola in the state, saying the rumour was to create unnecessary panic.


In a related development, NO fewer than four persons have been confirmed dead and scores hospitalized in various private hospitals in Taraba State following excessive consumption of salt which they erroneously believe deter the deadly Ebola virus after text messages went viral Saturday in the state capital, Jalingo, that salt water solution and bathing of same were anti-dote to the disease.

The affected victims, according to a medical practitioner who spoke to our correspondent, are said to be persons suffering from hypertension

One of the victim presently receiving treatment in one of the private hospital said, "apart from the text messages I received in the early hours of  Saturday, several calls from my friends and relations from different parts of the country were also received."

Identifying herself as Rachael, she said she never thought that bathing with water that "was diluted with salt  and and drinking just little of it could go to the extent of confining me to hospital bed."


She continued: “For such thing not to repeat itself, I will call on the Federal Government to arrest and deal with those behind the false information because the level of destruction is not only in this state but in the whole parts of the country.”


Also speaking to The Guardian, a son of one of the victims, said, " we tried all that we could to prevent my aged mother who has been suffering from hypertension from heeding the rumour but failed."