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Diphtheria Outbreak Forces Indefinite School Closures in Nigeria
(MENAFN) Authorities in Nigeria's Plateau State have ordered an indefinite shutdown of all public and private primary and secondary schools starting Sept. 7, after diphtheria cases surfaced in four local government areas, an official said Saturday.
The order applies even to schools that had already resumed classes, and will stay in effect until further notice, according to a statement from Joyce Ramnap, the state commissioner for information and communication.
Officials said infections had been detected in Jos North, Jos South, Bassa and Wase local government areas, prompting the closures as a preventive step to curb the disease's spread.
School proprietors, administrators and teachers have been instructed to comply, while parents and guardians were urged to keep pupils and students home for the duration of the shutdown.
The move comes as Plateau's diphtheria crisis deepens. State Commissioner for Health Nicholas Baamlong said earlier this week that 23 people had died and 143 suspected cases had been logged, with nine patients currently being treated at Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Specialist Hospital.
Baamlong pointed to shortages of diphtheria antitoxin and delays in patients seeking treatment as key obstacles to the response. He also said confirming suspected cases has been complicated by a lack of specialized containers needed to collect and transport samples for lab testing.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has been alerted to the outbreak, and the state government said it is counting on federal support, including antitoxin supplies and specialized sample-collection equipment.
According to the NCDC, eight states — Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara — account for 98% of confirmed cases nationwide as of the latest data, with 68% of confirmed cases involving unvaccinated individuals.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable bacterial infection spread through respiratory droplets that can lead to severe complications affecting the throat, heart, nerves and kidneys.
The order applies even to schools that had already resumed classes, and will stay in effect until further notice, according to a statement from Joyce Ramnap, the state commissioner for information and communication.
Officials said infections had been detected in Jos North, Jos South, Bassa and Wase local government areas, prompting the closures as a preventive step to curb the disease's spread.
School proprietors, administrators and teachers have been instructed to comply, while parents and guardians were urged to keep pupils and students home for the duration of the shutdown.
The move comes as Plateau's diphtheria crisis deepens. State Commissioner for Health Nicholas Baamlong said earlier this week that 23 people had died and 143 suspected cases had been logged, with nine patients currently being treated at Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Specialist Hospital.
Baamlong pointed to shortages of diphtheria antitoxin and delays in patients seeking treatment as key obstacles to the response. He also said confirming suspected cases has been complicated by a lack of specialized containers needed to collect and transport samples for lab testing.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has been alerted to the outbreak, and the state government said it is counting on federal support, including antitoxin supplies and specialized sample-collection equipment.
According to the NCDC, eight states — Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara — account for 98% of confirmed cases nationwide as of the latest data, with 68% of confirmed cases involving unvaccinated individuals.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable bacterial infection spread through respiratory droplets that can lead to severe complications affecting the throat, heart, nerves and kidneys.
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