The death toll from the suspected poisonous alcoholic substance outbreak in Ondo State has risen to 49, while the number of affected persons has increased to 170.
The state Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, disclosed the latest figures on Wednesday while providing an update on the outbreak.
According to the commissioner, eight of the recorded deaths occurred in Irele Local Government Area.
He said health authorities had intensified surveillance, case management and contact tracing across affected communities as part of efforts to contain the outbreak.
Ajaka said the state government had yet to determine the source of the suspected poisonous substance, noting that investigations were ongoing to establish whether the poisoning originated from a single source or multiple sources.
He added that response teams had been deployed to affected communities to monitor the situation, manage affected persons and trace the source of the substance.
The commissioner assured residents that the government remained committed to determining the cause of the outbreak and taking measures to prevent further loss of lives.
