JOS, NIGERIA – The Plateau State Government in central Nigeria has ordered the closure of all primary and secondary schools, public and private, until further notice, following a diphtheria outbreak.
The number of suspected cases of diphtheria is 149, while deaths now stand at 23. Diphtheria infections have been reported in Jos North, Jos South, Bassa, and Wase local government areas. According to the state epidemiologist, Job Maren, the closure aims to curb the rising number of infections among children.
Medical workers are monitoring infections in communities, treating mild cases locally and sending those with severe symptoms to isolation centres. At Jos University Teaching Hospital, medical workers in full protective gear are caring for infected people. Nevertheless, there are reported shortages of Diphtheria antitoxin, a drug used to cure the disease by neutralising the toxin present in the bloodstream.
According to Dr Njem Josiah Miner, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at the hospital, getting the required diphtheria antitoxin is the hardest part, causing early fatalities. With the antitoxin supply, medical workers have been able to discharge 31 patients.
The parents of the child who is under treatment have made direct appeals to the government to help supply necessary medicines to all local hospitals urgently.
The current case is among the health emergencies in Nigeria, with 13,387 confirmed cases of diphtheria and 598 deaths recorded from May 2022 to 2023.
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