The House of Representatives has directed the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the National Health Care Development Agency (NHCDA) to enforce the mandatory diphtheria immunisation, testing and treatment at all healthcare centres in all the 774 local government areas in the country.
The House also directed the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to raise public awareness through sensitisation campaigns on the dangers, symptoms, and transmission modes of diphtheria to prevent further spread and fatalities.
Adopting a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Kwamoti Bitrus Laori, the House directed its Committee on Health and Health Institutions to assess the level of compliance with the mandatory diphtheria immunisation.
It also directed the committee to evaluate the capacity of health institutions to effectively respond to current threat of diphtheria spread across the country.
The lawmaker said the disease had claimed 21 lives, adding the current resurgence posed significant threats to Nigeria’s already overburdened public health system;
According to him, diphtheria, which affects the nose, throat, skin, and, in severe cases, the heart, is transmitted through respiratory droplets, contaminated objects, and crowded unsanitary environments. This makes its spread particularly rapid among children and those with compromised immune systems in crowded communities.
Laori said diphtheria thrives in Africa due to low vaccination rates while remaining virtually absent in the United States of America and Europe, where vaccination coverage is high.
The lawmaker noted that the disease primarily threatens unvaccinated individuals who travel internationally or come into contact with infected persons.
He added that some African nations, such as Niger, Gabon, and Mauritania, have reported outbreaks with only a handful of confirmed deaths due to effective vaccination coverage, early detection, laboratory confirmation, and the availability of antitoxins and antibiotics for treatment.
