General News
Diphtheria: Scientist urges Plateau govt to act fast as cases exceed 300
A Biomedical Laboratory Scientist, Mr Odeh Paul Agabi, has urged the Plateau Government and health authorities to intensify vaccination, surveillance and treatment efforts following the outbreak of diphtheria in the state.
Agabi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
He was reacting to the diphtheria outbreak, which has recorded more than 300 suspected cases and 27 deaths, mostly among children.
He described the concentration of cases in Jos North, particularly Rikkos community, as a serious warning that the outbreak could worsen if authorities failed to move quickly to interrupt transmission.
According to him, closing schools in Jos North, Jos South, Bassa and Wase Local Government Areas is a necessary intervention.
He also suggested deployment of drugs and diphtheria antitoxin to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau State Specialist Hospital as a necessary intervention.
He said the current situation in Plateau should not be viewed as an isolated outbreak, noting that Nigeria has been battling diphtheria since a major outbreak began in Kano State in 2022.
“The experience from Kano and other affected states has provided sufficient evidence on how vaccination gaps, delayed diagnosis and inadequate access to treatment can allow diphtheria to spread and cause preventable deaths.
“What frustrates me as a scientist is that we are not short of answers. We are short of speed,” he said.
Agabi said that vaccination remained the most important tool for preventing diphtheria, adding that Nigeria still has significant gaps in immunisation coverage.
He also called for stronger laboratory surveillance to determine whether vaccinated people had developed adequate immunity and to characterise the strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae circulating in affected communities.
According to him, this will help health authorities to establish whether current prevention strategies are providing the expected level of protection.
The scientist further expressed concern about access to diphtheria antitoxin, saying delays in administering the medicine can increase the risk of severe illness and death.
Agabi urged the Plateau government to work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a regional stockpile of the antitoxin.
He recommended targeted vaccination around confirmed and suspected cases, saying intervention should begin immediately in affected households, schools, markets and places of worship.
He also called for training and deployment community volunteers to identify suspected cases, mobilise residents for vaccination, and encourage early presentation at health facilities.
“Case management should also be strengthened at primary healthcare centres and general hospitals in affected areas to reduce delays in accessing specialised care,” he said.
He urged health workers to pay particular attention to symptoms such as sore throat, swollen glands and the characteristic grey membrane associated with diphtheria.
He also called for greater community engagement through traditional rulers, religious leaders, market associations and other trusted community structures.
The scientist said health messages should be communicated in languages understood by residents, including Hausa and Berom, to improve awareness of symptoms, vaccination and early treatment.
He further urged neighbouring states like Bauchi, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba and Benue, to strengthen surveillance and check their vaccine stocks before recording cases.
He said the Plateau outbreak should serve as another reminder that diphtheria was a preventable disease.
“Diphtheria is a disease we know how to prevent. What is missing is the speed and discipline to apply, quickly and locally, what has already worked elsewhere in this country,” he said.
He urged authorities to combine immediate outbreak-control measures with scientific investigation to determine whether vaccines were providing the expected protection and whether the circulating strains required further investigation.
“Plateau and its neighbours do not need to relearn these lessons from the beginning, they only need to act on them, and verify them fast enough to save the children who are still at risk,” he said. (NAN).
By Our Reporter
Veteran Nigerian actor and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has died at the age of 84.
His son, Olusoji Jacobs, announced his death in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought, that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle. The Lion of Lufodo,” he wrote.
He added: “We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our family’s privacy at this time.”
Olu Jacobs was one of Nigeria’s most prominent veteran actors, with a career spanning theatre, television and film.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Jacobs began his career in British television and later featured in several international productions before returning to Nigeria, where he became a major figure in the country’s film industry.
He went on to star in numerous Nigerian films and became widely recognised for his commanding performances, earning several industry honours, including the Industry Merit Award at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Africa International Film Festival.
Jacobs was also a film executive and, alongside his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva, was involved in the Lufodo Group and the development of performing arts in Nigeria
From Salisu Zakari Maradun, Gusau
Former governor of Zamfara, Senator Abdul Aziz Yari has assured the people of the State of the readiness of the Federal government to end tne lingering insecurity in not only Zamfara, but the entire nation.
He also called on them to continue to rally round the Tinubu’s administration in its quest toward developing the nation politically and economically so that it can compete with its counterparts globally.
Yari made the call and assertion when he addressed thousands of Imams who converted at his residence to register their support, and congratulate him over his appointment as campaign DG of President Tinubu 2027 election.
Senator Yari explained that President Tinubu is much worried of what is happening in particularly Zamfara as far as insecurity is concerned, and thus vowed to make sure that it has become a history.
According to the campaign DG, Tinubu deserved to be re-elected for the second term going by what did to the nation with regard to development in the northern part of the country in mostly the areas of security itself.”Me President is currently doing everything possible toward addressing the issue of insecurity, but I also want to tell you that the issue of insecurity is something that one person only cannot do it, it is something that needs many hands, so in this regard, there is need for coming together, irrespective political inclination to collectively join hands and fight it, and by the grace of God we will succeed”, Yari added.
He therefore urged Imams to continue to pray for the return of peace in the State, and by extention, to the whole nation. “I therefore urge you to assist us with massive prayers, and when you go back to your respective areas, tell others to embark on same with a view to addressing the calamity, as I said earlier, everybody’s hand is needed in this journey”.
Speaking further, the former governor stated that no nation can develop when it is confronted with insecurity no matter how powerful it is, because peace is the most needed ingredient for every development globally, adding that “from our own side, we will not leave any stone unturned toward providing all that is needed for the success of achieving the desired goals.
Abubakar Kabir
A child rights organisation funded by the Malala Fund is seeking stronger backing from the Bauchi State Government to return adolescent girls who dropped out of school due to marriage back to classrooms.
The Women Child Youth Health and Education Initiative, WCY, made the appeal during an advocacy visit to the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Bauchi.
WCY Senior Programme Officer, Kamal Ali Bello, said the group is focused on enrollment, retention and completion for out-of-school children, with special attention to girls who left school early.
“The organisation is poised to ensure the return, retention and completion of adolescent girls who dropped out as a result of marriage or any other reason,” Bello said.
He also asked the ministry to set up the implementation and monitoring committee provided for in the state’s Child Protection Law to help track progress.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Hajiya Talatu Musa Gar, reiterated the government’s commitment to the health and welfare of women and children. She assured that the ministry will partner with any organisation willing to improve their welfare.
The ministry said it is ready to work with WCY and other partners to reduce Bauchi’s out-of-school numbers.
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