Health

Diphtheria Outbreak kills one in Abuja

By Web News 2092

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT,  has announced the breakout of Diphtheria in parts of the city of Abuja.

The FCT Director, Public Health Department, Dr. Sadiq Abdulrahman, announced the outbreak, at a news conference on Monday, in Abuja.

Abdulrahman, while addressing the news conference, said the disease had already killed a four-year-old, adding that outbreaks earlier recorded in Lagos, Ondo, and Kano states in January, had triggered a national response by the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control.

Diphtheria is an infection caused by strains of bacteria known as Corynebacterium Diphtheriae which produces toxins that cause difficulty in breathing, and heart rhythm problems, and could lead to death.

The Director said the outbreak was confirmed after tests on samples of suspected cases in a community near Dei-Dei, came back positive.

“Two weeks ago, we got information from a community within the FCT of eight cases and that made our team to pick some samples.

“The samples were taken to the National Reference Laboratory, Gaduwa, and the NCDC, and one of the suspected cases came out positive,” he said.

He urged residents to report any strange symptoms, particularly respiratory challenges to relevant authorities and tasked them to maintain good personal hygiene.

Abdulrahman said the Department was collaborating with neighbouring States, to checkmate the spread of the disease through border surveillance.

Also, the Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Yahaya Vatsa, warned that unvaccinated people who lived in crowded and unhygienic environments were at high risk of contracting the disease.

He urged residents to ensure that their children were fully vaccinated, in line with the National Childhood Immunization Schedule.

“To reduce the risk of contracting the disease, FCT residents are hereby advised to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated with three doses of the pentavalent vaccine. This is recommended in the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule,” he said.

Dr. Vatsa advised individuals with any of the signs and symptoms to isolate themselves and notify the FCT Disease Surveillance Notification Officer or the Emergency Operation Center, through the FCT Call Center toll-free lines.

Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Health

We’ll intensify immunization against child killer disease – Oyo Commissioner

By Web News 699

By Nafiu Busari

Despite claiming many lives and the threats posed by Diphtheria in the Country, Oyo State has not recorded any case of the disease in recent years. 

This was attributed to immense resources and protective measures put in place by the Oyo state government and her development partners. 

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Bode Ladipo, stated this in Ibadan at a news conference to declare open the Lassa fever and diphtheria week.

Dr Ladipo explained that Oyo state has had its own share of the challenges posed by Diphtheria and Lassa fever in the Country. 

According to the Commissioner, Oyo state will continue to maintain its diphtheria-free status by ensuring that all eligible children receive routine immunization against it and other killer childhood diseases. 

He urged the residents of the state to take every measure to keep rats away from their homes and ensure proper storage of food. 

Dr Ladipo called on public officials to continue to maintain high standards in public healthcare delivery and the development of sound health policies to promote health. 

In a remark, Oyo State Coordinator, USAID Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Mrs Oluwatoyin Afachung who observed low sensitization on Lassa fever and Diphtheria, promised to embark on an aggressive media campaign against the diseases.

She also revealed that town hall meetings will be organized in the affected local governments in the state and train teachers on how to curtail the spread of the diseases. 

The Oyo state facilitator UNICEF, Mr Tari Akpandara promised improved partnership with the state government to ensure good public health.

 

Health

Diphtheria: Medical Experts Call for Maximum Attention to Effective Vaccination

By Web News 899

Francisca Irekpita

Medical experts want Nigerians to pay more attention to routine immunization coverage and effective vaccinations in the bid to combat the spread of diphtheria in the country. 

The experts, while speaking with Radio Nigeria on the reported upsurge in cases of diphtheria in parts of the country also emphasized the need for sustainable mechanisms to strengthen the delivery of primary health care services to the people. 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, had alerted Nigerians on the outbreak of the vaccine-preventable bacteria infection, which affects the nose, throat and skin with records that it had killed at least 38 persons in the country. 

Reacting to the development, the experts in Infection Prevention and Control, Community and Public Health, as well as Epidemiology, were united in their submissions that the disease outbreak in different parts was an indication that more children needed to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

On his part, the infection prevention and control expert and Secretary-General, of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Ogun State, Dr Festus Adetanwa described diphtheria as a deadly but curable bacterial infection commonly found among children and the elderly with low immune systems. 

He highlighted fever, sore throat, nasal discharge, cough, difficulty in breathing and swollen glands of the neck as some of the symptoms associated with diphtheria, noting that, the disease could spread easily from person to person through droplets from cough and sneeze.

Dr Adetanwa advised the people to maintain a maximum level of hygiene as a precaution to prevent a resurgence of the disease in other locations. 

Also, the Community and Public Health expert, Dr Toluwalase Adegboye blamed the resurgence of diphtheria on the inadequate coverage of routine immunization and non-adherence to standard health safety precautions among Nigerians.

Dr Adegboye while appealing to relevant agencies to educate the people on the need to get vaccinated, also emphasized that reviewing the available primary Health care system for better performance would help to check outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

In a reaction, an Epidemiologist at the department of Public Health, Ogun State Ministry of Health, Dr Yusuf Akeem pointed out that the state government had commenced the needed public sensitization, especially among the rural dwellers about the symptoms and mode of transmission of diphtheria.

Dr Akeem explained that the state surveillance system had also been strengthened through the provision of adequate resources and training of healthcare workers, while effective communication channels had been established between health authorities and the public to further educate the people. 

Others who contributed to the issue urged the government to deploy more medical personnel to identify areas with the prevalence of diphtheria and make conscious efforts to treat the affected persons and vaccinate those classified as high-risk groups.

In Kano state, one of the worst-hit states in the country’s north, Dr Aminu Tsanyawa the health commissioner for the state had recorded more than 70 suspected cases along with 25 deaths related to the bacterial infection.

The total number of confirmed cases and deaths is not yet known.

Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealed it initiated an emergency response to the outbreak and is monitoring the situation in four of the nation’s 36 states.

Authorities were first alerted about an outbreak among children in Kano state in late December, according to the state’s chief epidemiologist.

Diphtheria causes breathing difficulties, heart failure and paralysis. The people most at risk are unvaccinated or live in areas with poor sanitation.

Nigeria has not had a diphtheria outbreak of this magnitude in recent years. The nation’s capacity to diagnose the disease and treat patients is limited in many remote areas.

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Foreign

Diphtheria: UK Refugees Centre Records Increased Cases

By Web News 426

The number of cases of diphtheria among asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK has risen to more than 50.

It comes after it was confirmed that one migrant who died after being held at the Manston processing centre in Kent had contracted the disease.

The man died in hospital on 19 November after entering the UK on a small boat seven days earlier.

The Home Office said it takes the welfare of those in its care seriously.

This week, health officials are set to confirm there have been more than 50 diphtheria cases among asylum seekers this year, the BBC understands.

According to government data, in 2021, there were three of the same strain.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious infection that affects the nose, throat and sometimes causes ulcers on the skin.

According to the NHS website, it’s spread by coughs and sneezes or through close contact with someone who is infected, and in severe cases can be fatal.

You can also get it by sharing items such as cups, cutlery, clothing or bedding with an infected person.

Babies and children in the UK are vaccinated against diphtheria, meaning cases are rare. However, the infection is potentially dangerous to migrants who come from countries where this is not the case.

The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) says it is not known if the more than 50 people who have or have had diphtheria were infected at Manston.

The body said that cases have been rising amongst asylum seekers across Europe and some people reported symptoms before arriving, and so could have been infected in their home country.

However, the incubation period for the illness is between two and five days, with a maximum of 10 days, so infections in people who were at Manston are likely to be recent.

A post-mortem examination is trying to determine whether the man held at Manston died because of his diphtheria infection.

According to a Home Office spokesperson, hospital tests indicate “diphtheria may be the cause of the illness”.

Initial tests were negative and the Home Office said at the time there was “no evidence at this stage” that the person had died from an infectious disease. But a follow-up PCR test for diphtheria has since produced a positive result.

Health officials have advised vaccines and antibiotics are offered to people on arrival at their new accommodation, and close contacts are identified.

BBC/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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