An outbreak of diphtheria has claimed the lives of 23 people, with 143 others suspected to have contracted the disease in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. The development has raised serious concerns among health officials in the state, who have intensified efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
Nicholas Baamlong, the commissioner for health told journalists on Tuesday that the outbreak is mainly concentrated in Jos North, while the government is working to prevent its spread to neighbouring local government areas. “There is actually an outbreak of Diphtheria in the state. As of today, we have 143 suspected cases and we have lost 23 patients.
Some of the patients are receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau State Specialist Hospital,” he said. “We have made a lot of effort to stabilise the situation and to prevent further escalation. Rikkos community is majorly affected. The most unfortunate is that there’s no anti-toxin for treatment, so we use antibiotics. It spreads through coughing, sneezing and contact with the person that is affected,” he said.
Earlier, Baks Bulus, the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer for Jos North Local Government said 15 deaths occurred within three days of the outbreak and warned that additional cases could arise if urgent preventive measures were not adopted. He said the development came barely two days after a family in Jos reportedly lost two children to the suspected infection.
Explaining the mode of transmission, Bulus said diphtheria is a bacterial infection that can spread rapidly from one person to another, particularly among close contacts. He added that people who share personal items such as utensils and towels with infected persons are at risk of contracting the disease.