Strange Disease Outbreak Killed Many Nigerians In 24 Hours
On April 18, 2015, reports emerged that an unidentified disease claimed the lives of at least 18 people within 24 hours in Southwestern Nigeria.
The outbreak originated in the town of Ode-Irele in Ondo State and spread rapidly. Victims of the illness showed symptoms including blurred vision, headaches, and loss of consciousness, with deaths occurring within a day of its onset.
Local health authorities, along with experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), were deployed to the affected town to investigate the nature of the disease. Although laboratory tests have ruled out Ebola and other known viruses, the exact cause of the illness remained unknown, as described by Ondo government spokesman Kayode Akinmade.
Gregory Hartl, a spokesperson for the WHO, stated that some affected individuals displayed symptoms between April 13th and 15th. Also, the then Ondo State Health Commissioner, Dayo Adeyanju, disclosed that the unidentified disease appeared to target the central nervous system of its victims.
Major Earthquake and Fire Killed Thousands In US
Similarly, Americans cannot easily forget April 18, 1906, because of the tragedy that occurred on that day. At 5:13 a.m., a major earthquake of 8.0 magnitude struck San Francisco, California, claiming around 3,000 lives and causing widespread destruction. The quake, originating from a segment of the San Andreas Fault spanning about 275 miles, sent shock waves felt from southern Oregon to Los Angeles.
San Francisco, known for its brick and Victorian wooden structures, experienced extensive devastation. The earthquake ignited immediate fires, exacerbated by broken water mains hindering firefighting efforts, leading to citywide firestorms. U.S. Army troops from Fort Mason mobilized to maintain order, while Mayor E.E. Schmitz imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, authorizing troops to shoot looters on sight.
Despite significant aftershocks, firefighters and troops worked tirelessly to contain the fires, resorting to dynamiting city blocks to create firebreaks. By April 20, thousands of trapped refugees were evacuated, with the army sheltering 20,000 displaced individuals in over 20 military-style tent camps across the city.
By April 23, most fires were extinguished, marking the beginning of the arduous rebuilding process. The Great San Francisco Earthquake and subsequent fires that erupted claimed more than 3,000 lives and destroyed nearly 30,000 buildings, including most homes and virtually all of the central business district. It was an incident Americans and people around the world still remember.
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