By Opeyemi Adelakun
The Plateau State Government has ordered the temporary closure of all primary and secondary schools following a diphtheria outbreak that has killed 23 people in the state.
The closure, directed by Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Saturday, will take effect from Monday, September 7, and remain in place until further notice.
The decision came as health authorities reported 148 suspected cases of the vaccine-preventable disease since the outbreak began early last month.
Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
Baamlong said eight patients were currently receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, while five others were admitted at the Plateau Specialist Hospital.
He said isolation centres had been established at the facilities for suspected cases.
According to the commissioner, the state government had alerted the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, and requested materials required for collecting and transporting samples for laboratory confirmation.
He said the state had since received some of the materials needed by health officials to collect samples from suspected patients and send them for testing.
Baamlong expressed concern over the low availability of diphtheria antitoxin in the country, while urging parents to ensure their children receive and complete routine immunisation.
He noted that some of the children affected by the outbreak had either not been vaccinated or had not completed their vaccination.
The commissioner also urged parents and caregivers to seek medical attention promptly when children develop symptoms, noting that late presentation at health facilities had contributed to some of the deaths.
Baamlong said the state government had intensified sensitisation and vaccination campaigns in communities affected by the outbreak as part of efforts to halt further transmission.
He advised residents to maintain proper personal and environmental hygiene and avoid overcrowded environments.
The commissioner had earlier said consultations were ongoing with school authorities over concerns that reopening schools could increase contact among children and create conditions for further spread of the disease.
Diphtheria is a bacterial disease that primarily affects the upper respiratory tract and can produce a toxin capable of damaging the heart and nerves.
The disease is vaccine-preventable, although multiple doses and booster doses are required to establish and maintain immunity.
The World Health Organisation says untreated diphtheria can be fatal in around 30 per cent of cases, with young children particularly vulnerable.
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