Diphtheria Outbreak Claims 23 Lives in Plateau State, 143 Suspected Cases Recorded

Twenty-three people have died from suspected diphtheria in Plateau State in the last two weeks, with 143 suspected cases recorded as the state intensifies efforts to contain the spread of the infectious disease.

Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this in a telephone interview with Channels Television, saying nine patients are currently on admission at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Specialist Hospital. Baamlong said the affected patients are being treated in isolation, while the government has activated awareness campaigns across communities through traditional rulers and other stakeholders to curtail further transmission.

He identified the shortage of diphtheria antitoxin and the late presentation of patients at health facilities as major challenges confronting efforts to tackle the outbreak. “The biggest challenge is getting antitoxin, and most of them are presenting late,” the commissioner said. Baamlong explained that diphtheria could spread through “contact, cough, sneezing and close association.”

He further disclosed that the state was facing difficulties in confirming suspected cases because of the unavailability of specialised containers required for collecting and transporting samples to laboratories. “We are having challenges with the diagnosis because the sample is supposed to be collected in a special container so that we can send it for confirmation, but we do not have such containers,” he said.

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The commissioner said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is already aware of the situation, with the state expecting support to address the shortage of both antitoxin and the specialised sample containers. “The NCDC is aware, and we are hoping that they will assist us with the antitoxin and the special containers,” he said.

Baamlong said the state government had also stepped up sensitisation efforts at the community level, leveraging traditional rulers and other stakeholders to educate residents on the disease and ways to prevent its spread. “We have so far activated awareness campaigns in communities through traditional rulers and other stakeholders to curtail the spread,” Baamlong said.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can spread from person to person through respiratory droplets and close contact. Health authorities have continued to urge residents to seek early medical attention and observe appropriate preventive measures to reduce further infections and deaths.

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