Two people have died from diphtheria in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, following an outbreak of the bacterial disease in the territory.
The FCT Administration said five cases have so far been confirmed by laboratory testing from 15 suspected cases investigated as of last week, with several of the affected patients successfully treated and discharged.
Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this yesterday at a community sensitisation and advocacy programme on diphtheria in Karshi where she assured that the FCTA had deployed a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to Karshi and surrounding rural and urban communities to contain the spread of the disease.
According to her, the team is tracking contacts, administering preventive antibiotics and intensifying community engagement in local languages, including Hausa and Gbagyi.
Fasawe warned residents against self-treatment, particularly attempts to remove the pseudo-membrane that forms at the back of the throat of infected persons.
She said a child had bled to death after a local barber attempted to cut the throat membrane, stressing the need for suspected cases to be reported immediately to public health authorities.
Diphtheria, she explained, is a severe bacterial infection that affects the nose and throat and can sometimes affect the skin. She said early symptoms, including fever, cough and catarrh, could progress to neck swelling and severe difficulty in breathing if not promptly treated.
The Chief of Karshi, Ismaila Mohammed, however, clarified that the two fatalities did not occur directly within Karshi town but in a neighbouring border settlement in Nasarawa State.
Mohammed commended the swift intervention of the government and pledged the support of traditional and religious leaders to ensure that sick children are taken to designated health facilities rather than being subjected to unverified local remedies.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, represented by Hanatu Bello, assured that the agency was providing full technical and operational support to the FCT to interrupt the chain of transmission and strengthen risk communication across the Territory.
The World Health Organization, WHO, also pledged support for the response, with its FCT Coordinator, Imaobong Adebayo, represented by Dr. Jibril Alkasim.
Adebayo highlighted the availability and safety of free routine childhood vaccines, noting that vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks underscore the need to close immunisation gaps.
She reiterated WHO’s commitment to supporting local health teams with field operations, active case searches and efforts to increase vaccination coverage among vulnerable groups.
Director, FCT Public Health Department, Teresa Nwachukwu, further reassured residents that there was no cause for panic, saying the FCTA was capable and ready to contain the disease.
Nwachukwu said the FCT health system maintains active outbreak response structures covering surveillance, case management and risk communication.
She added that available data showed children aged five to nine were the most vulnerable group, stressing that adherence to childhood immunisation schedules, maintaining clean environments and early presentation at healthcare facilities remained critical to eliminating diphtheria in the Territory.
