Editor: by Chinwe Mamah
The Enugu State Government says there is no confirmed case of diphtheria in the state, urging residents to disapprove unfounded ongoing rumours.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof George Ugwu, made the clarification in a briefing in Enugu on update on the rumoured suspected case of a diphtheria patient in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu.
“A few days ago, there was a report of suspected case of diphtheria at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu which was followed by our team.
The commissioner noted that accordingly, contact traces and other appropriate measures are ongoing and yet diphtheria are not diagnosed or confirmed in the state.
He explained that the suspected patient had been traced to his home in Achara Layout in Enugu and he did not have any record of travel and had not being to the northern part of the country as rumoured.
Our surveillance and tracing teams have also contacted his family members and others but no trace of diphtheria established,” he said.
Prof. Ugwu noted that although the state had remained on high alert against infectious diseases, Enugu State is never at high risk of contacting diphtheria.
The commissioner urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information as well as seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms of any sickness.
He said the ministry is calling on parents and caregivers to ensure children are fully immunised with diphtheria containing vaccines (Penta 3).
“The Enugu State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNTH and relevant international partners, continues to monitor the situation and will be proactive for further information as necessary,” he added.
It would be recalled that there is an outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria and 19,799 suspected cases sent to molecular laboratory test; with 15,309 confirmed cases and 517 confirmed death across 26 states and 357 Local Government Areas.
The worst affected states accounting for over 98 per cent cases of diphtheria are Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Kastina, Sokato, Zamfara, Kaduna and Plateau according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).
Diphtheria is a serious but vaccine preventable bacterial disease that can spread though respiratory droplets and close contact.
Symptoms of Diphtheria include: fever, sore throat, difficulty or pain when swallowing, cough, difficulty breathing, swelling of the neck and greyish/white membrane in the throat
