The death toll from the diphtheria outbreak in Plateau State, Nigeria, has risen to 31, with 469 suspected cases recorded across 10 Local Government Areas. The outbreak was first reported earlier in the year, but the situation became a significant public health concern from August. The Plateau State Government has taken measures to contain the outbreak, including activating its Incident Management System (IMS).
According to Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, Commissioner for Health, the breakdown of the cases shows that Jos North has recorded the highest number of suspected cases with 370, followed by Wase with 29, Jos South 22, Barkin Ladi and Mangu with 16 cases each, Pankshin five, Kanam and Mikang four each, Shendam two, and Bassa one case. The commissioner disclosed this during a press briefing on the outbreak in Jos.
To respond to the outbreak, the Plateau State Government has engaged and sensitized community leaders, intensified active case search and contact tracing, and provided treatment commodities to Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital for the isolation and management of severe cases. The government has also trained teachers from public and private schools in Jos North on early detection of diphtheria and appropriate response measures.
The government has also made efforts to vaccinate children against diphtheria and tetanus, with more than 160,000 children reached with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines, while over 30,000 children have received Pentavalent vaccines. However, the state currently has a deficit of 250,000 doses required to cover the remaining parts of Jos North and other affected Local Government Areas.
Dr. Maren Job Damala has been appointed as Incident Manager to coordinate the state’s intensified response to the outbreak. The Incident Manager will coordinate response activities across sectors and partners, liaise with relevant government agencies and stakeholders, ensure timely implementation of response strategies, monitor and evaluate containment activities, facilitate resource mobilisation and deployment, and ensure effective communication and dissemination of information to the public.
The symptoms of diphtheria include cough, sneezing, fever, sore throat, white or greyish patches at the back of the throat, difficulty in breathing, neck swelling, and occasionally, skin rash. The Commissioner urged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated, saying that diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease.
The Commissioner advised residents to practise good hygiene, including regular handwashing, avoid close contact with persons showing symptoms, use face masks in crowded areas or when interacting with symptomatic persons, and seek immediate medical attention where diphtheria is suspected. He also urged the public to promptly report suspected cases to their Local Government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers.
Key points
- The death toll from the diphtheria outbreak in Plateau State, Nigeria, has risen to 31.
- 469 suspected cases have been recorded across 10 Local Government Areas.
- The Plateau State Government has activated its Incident Management System (IMS) to contain the outbreak.
