The Nasarawa State Ministry of Health has confirmed 15 cases of diphtheria amid an ongoing outbreak, with the majority of the cases recorded in Keffi Local Government Area.
Director of Public Health in the state Ministry of Health, Dr Attah Peter, disclosed this during an interview in Lafia, the state capital.
Attah said the confirmed cases were recorded across three local government areas and involved patients aged between two months and 11 years.
“At the moment, we have recorded and confirmed cases of 15. The age group ranges between 2 months to 11 years,” he said.
He explained that 11 of the 15 cases were from Keffi, while one was recorded in Wamba and three in Lafia.
The director attributed most of the infections to lack of immunisation among affected children.
“You begin to wonder why an 11-year-old is coming down with diphtheria at this age. 11 years ago, that caregiver should have taken this child for vaccination. That was not done, and so the child, even at this age, is still vulnerable,” Attah said.
He noted that similar cases had been recorded in other states, including Kano, where adults as old as 50 had reportedly been affected due to lack of vaccination.
According to him, unlike the previous year when the state recorded fatalities, no death has been recorded from the outbreak this year.
“For all the cases that actually presented themselves in the facility, none we’ve not recorded any death. Maybe because of the clinician’s high index of suspicion and then the commencement of treatment early enough,” he said.
Attah said vaccines and treatment had been deployed to the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, and other health facilities managing the cases.
He urged parents and caregivers to take advantage of free routine immunisation available at Primary Healthcare Centres across the state.
“The routine immunization is free. It’s just for you to make effort to take this child to where these vaccines are available. They are readily accessible to almost every primary healthcare facility,” he said.
He explained that children are expected to receive routine vaccines from birth through 18 months, including booster doses.
He also advised girls aged between nine and 11 years to receive the HPV vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer.
Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the throat and can cause breathing difficulties, heart failure and death if not treated promptly.
Residents were advised to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as sore throat, fever or a thick grey coating in the throat.
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