Diphtheria: Two die in Abuja as child bleeds to death

Diphtheria has killed two patients in Abuja out of five laboratory-confirmed cases, prompting the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA to move swiftly to calm public anxiety over the outbreak.

Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this during a community sensitisation and advocacy event on the disease held in Karshi, explaining that the administration had investigated 15 suspected cases as of last week. Of that number, five were confirmed through laboratory testing, resulting in two fatalities, while several other patients have since been successfully treated and discharged.

She explained that diphtheria is a severe bacterial infection affecting the nose, throat, and occasionally the skin, with early symptoms including fever, cough, and catarrh, which can progress to neck swelling and severe breathing difficulties.

Dr Fasawe cited a tragic incident in which a child bled to death after a local barber attempted to cut a throat membrane, as she cautioned residents against self-treatment or any attempt to handle the pseudo-membranes that form at the back of infected throats. She urged community members to report suspected cases immediately to public health authorities rather than resort to such measures.

To contain the spread, she said the FCTA has deployed a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to Karshi and surrounding rural and urban communities to track contacts, administer preventive antibiotics, and intensify community engagement in local languages, including Hausa and Gbagyi.

Addressing local concerns, the Chief of Karshi, Ismaila Mohammed, represented by the District Head of Karshi, Alhaji Ahmed Doka, clarified that the recorded fatalities did not occur directly within Karshi town but in a neighbouring border settlement along Nasarawa State.

He expressed appreciation for the swift intervention of government and pledged the commitment of traditional and religious leaders to ensuring that residents present sick children at designated health centres rather than seek unverified local remedies.

Also speaking, Hanatu Bello, who represented the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), assured that the agency is providing full technical and operational backing to the FCT to interrupt the chain of transmission and establish effective risk communication across all public domains.

FCT Coordinator of the World Health Organization (WHO), Imaobong Adebayo, represented by Dr. Jibril Alkasim, highlighted the availability and safety of free routine childhood vaccines, noting that vaccine-preventable outbreaks underscore the urgent need to bridge immunisation gaps. She reiterated the WHO’s commitment to supporting local health teams in field operations, active case searches, and efforts to drive up vaccination coverage among vulnerable groups.

Director, FCT Public Health Department, Teresa Nwachukwu, corroborated the Secretary’s reassurance that there was no cause for panic, stressing that the FCTA was capable and ready to contain the disease. She revealed that the FCT health system maintains fully active outbreak response structures across surveillance, case management, and risk communication.

Noting that available data indicates children aged five to nine remain the most vulnerable demographic, Nwachukwu emphasised that adherence to childhood immunisation schedules, maintaining clean environments, and early presentation at healthcare facilities remain the ultimate defences to eliminate diphtheria across the territory.