From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has directed the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Health Care Development Agency to enforce the mandatory diphtheria testing, treatment and immunisation across the 774 local government areas.
The House also charged the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to increase public awareness on the dangers, symptoms and transmission modes of diphtheria to curb its spread and fatalities
Furthermore, the House mandated its Committees on Health and Health Institutions to assess the level of compliance with the mandatory diphtheria immunisation as well as the capacity of health institutions to effectively respond to threat of the spread of the disease across the country.
The committees are expected to report back within four weeks for further legislative actions.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Kwamoti Laori on the need to contain the spread of diphtheria in the country to save lives.
Laori, in his motion, told the House that diphtheria, a disease caused by “Corynebacterium species” has become a serious public health challenge, since its “first outbreak in Borno State in 2011 claimed 21 lives.”
The lawmaker, while stating that there is a resurgence of the disease, noted that
“from May 2022 to February 2025, Nigeria has reported 41,978 suspected cases of diphtheria from Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, with Kano and Yobe States accounting for the highest numbers- 24,062 and 5330, respectively.”
He explained that while most of those affected were children aged 1-14, only 19.7 percent were fully vaccinated. According to him, the disease has claimed 1,279 lives “within this period.”
Laori said “diphtheria which affects the nose, throat, skin, and, in severe cases, the heart; is transmitted through respiratory droplets, contaminated objects, and crowded unsanitary environments, making its spread particularly rapid among children and those with compromised immune systems in crowded communities.
“Diphtheria thrives in Africa due to low vaccination rates while remaining virtually absent in countries like the United States of America and Europe, where vaccination coverage is high. Thus, diphtheria primarily threatens unvaccinated individuals who travel internationally or come into contact with infected persons.
“In Africa, nations such as Niger, Gabon, and Mauritania have reported outbreaks with only a handful of confirmed deaths due to effective vaccination coverage, early detection, laboratory confirmation, and the availability of anti-toxins and antibiotics for treatment. In stark contrast, Nigeria’s statistics paint a dire picture, with thousands of reported cases and associated deaths due to low or absence of vaccination.”
The lawmaker expressed concern that if urgent steps are taken to stem the tide, “the high case fatality rate could worsen and spread outside of the states already impacted, underscoring the urgency of improving on the low vaccination rates, ineffective anti-toxins and treatments and delays in clinical detection and test confirmation that fuel this outbreak.”