VACCINATION IS KEY AGAINST DIPHTHERIA — PHYSICIAN
REPORTER: UZOMA NWANKWO
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) earlier in July, 2023, alerted Nigerians on the increasing outbreak of an acute bacterial infection called diphtheria in 33 local government areas in eight states, including FCT with 798 confirmed cases and 80 deaths.
According to NCDC, FCT health and human services secretariat has activated the diphtheria incident management system to coordinate outbreak response activities.
Reacting to this development, a public health physician with the Imo State Teaching Hospital Orlu, Dr. Ikechi Ohale, called on residents of the state to ensure that their children were fully vaccinated with pentavalent vaccine to break the spread of the disease.
Dr. Ohale explained that diphtheria is an infection of the nose and throat that is easily preventable by the vaccine.
He said children should take the three doses of pentavalent vaccines starting from six weeks, ten and fourteen weeks as recommended in the National Childhood immunisation schedule.
According to Dr. Ohale, people most at risk are the unvaccinated children or adults living in crowded areas with poor sanitation.
“As we are all aware, precisely in January this year, a national alert was sent out on the outbreak of Diphtheria in about three states, Lagos, Kano and Ondo which had continue to increase and currently in eight states.
“That triggered a national response and the NCDC, which is the flagship of disease outbreak and response in the country, sent out a letter to all the states,” he said.
He outlined fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes as some of the symptoms of diphtheria.
The physician explained that diphtheria could easily be spread among people through direct contact with infected people, droplets from coughing, sneezing, contaminated household items, including used tissue or towel.
Dr. Ohale called on Ministry of Health to ensure provision of anti- toxin for diphtheria, high index community based surveillance and strict isolation of confirmed cases.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
