Diphtheria Outbreak: 2 Dead, 5 Confirmed Cases in Abuja — FCTA Moves to Contain Spread

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has confirmed two deaths from diphtheria following five laboratory-confirmed cases recorded in the territory.

The development has prompted the administration to intensify measures to contain the outbreak and reassure residents that there is no cause for panic.

The Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this during a community sensitisation and advocacy programme on diphtheria held in Karshi.

Fasawe said the FCTA had investigated 15 suspected cases as of last week, with five subsequently confirmed through laboratory testing. She added that while two patients died, several others had been successfully treated and discharged.

She explained that diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose and throat and can sometimes affect the skin. Early symptoms include fever, cough and catarrh, which may progress to swelling of the neck and severe difficulty in breathing.

Fasawe warned residents against self-medication and attempts to remove the membrane that forms at the back of the throat of infected patients.

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She recalled a case in which a child reportedly bled to death after a local barber attempted to cut the throat membrane, stressing that suspected cases should be reported immediately to health authorities.

To prevent further transmission, the FCTA has deployed a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to Karshi and surrounding communities. The team is expected to conduct contact tracing, administer preventive antibiotics and intensify public awareness campaigns in local languages, including Hausa and Gbagyi.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Karshi, Ismaila Mohammed, represented by the District Head of Karshi, Alhaji Ahmed Doka, clarified that the reported deaths did not occur within Karshi town but in a neighbouring border settlement in Nasarawa State.

Doka commended the government for its prompt intervention and urged traditional and religious leaders to encourage residents to take sick children to designated health facilities instead of relying on unverified local remedies.

A representative of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Hanatu Bello, said the agency was providing technical and operational support to the FCT to break the chain of transmission and strengthen risk communication.

Similarly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said routine childhood vaccines remain available and safe, stressing that the outbreak highlights the need to close existing immunisation gaps.

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The Director of the FCT Public Health Department, Teresa Nwachukwu, also assured residents that the territory’s outbreak response structures were fully operational and capable of containing the disease.

According to Nwachukwu, children between five and nine years old remain the most vulnerable group based on available data.

She urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive their routine vaccinations, maintain proper hygiene and seek medical attention promptly whenever symptoms of diphtheria are suspected.