Lead poisoning caused by illegal gold mining has killed 163 Nigerians, including 111 children, since March in several remote villages in northern Zamfara state, a senior government official said on Friday.
International aid agencies, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are assisting Nigerian authorities in containing the outbreak.
“We have a total of 355 cases and 163 deaths,” Dr. Henry Akpan, the health ministry’s chief epidemiologist, told Reuters.
“They were digging for gold, but the areas also have large concentrations of lead.”
Dr. Akpan said many of the victims died after touching tools, soil and water contaminated with large concentrations of lead.
Authorities have stopped the illegal mining and have begun evacuating some residents.
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