By Tongnaan Bawa, Jos
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has joined Plateau State’s intensified response to a diphtheria outbreak that has claimed 28 lives among 388 suspected cases, with about 700 teachers undergoing training to help detect and respond to suspected infections in schools.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, disclosed this while providing an update on the outbreak, which he said became more pronounced in the last two weeks.
Baamlong said Plateau was still awaiting laboratory confirmation because the state lacks the capacity to test for diphtheria. He disclosed that about 150 samples had been sent to the reference laboratory in Gaduwa, Abuja, for confirmation.
According to him, although the death toll has risen to 28, the fatality rate was no longer increasing rapidly, with about 25 of the deaths recorded during the first two weeks of the outbreak.
The Commissioner said the state had activated its disease surveillance system and strengthened treatment efforts, with patients receiving care at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau Specialist Hospital.
Our correspondent reports that, at the time of the interview, about nine patients were being treated at the specialist hospital and approximately 10 at JUTH.
He said the delay in reopening schools was part of measures to protect pupils and curb further transmission, adding that the Ministries of Health, Education and Information were working with development partners, including UNICEF, to strengthen public health interventions, surveillance and community awareness.
Baamlong disclosed that about 700 teachers from public and private nursery, primary and secondary schools were being trained, with one teacher selected from each school across the state.
The training, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and development partners, is aimed at equipping teachers to recognise suspected symptoms, take appropriate immediate action and promptly refer affected pupils for medical attention.
The Commissioner said the intervention would support efforts towards the safe reopening of schools, adding that the relevant ministries were working towards announcing a resumption date, subject to approval by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
He further disclosed that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) had supplied diphtheria vaccines to the state.
The vaccines, he said, would be deployed through campaigns in schools and communities worst affected by the outbreak once schools fully resume.
Baamlong urged parents to take routine childhood immunisation seriously, noting that available data showed that many children who developed severe disease had not been adequately immunised.
He stressed that vaccination, good sanitation and regular handwashing remained critical to preventing the spread of diphtheria and other infectious diseases.
However, the Commissioner identified the shortage of diphtheria antitoxin as a major challenge in managing severe cases. He said the medication was not readily available across the country, while the Federal Government was working to secure supplies.
He explained that diphtheria antitoxin is a critical component of treatment because it helps neutralise the toxin produced by the disease before supportive medical care is provided.