THE House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to launch an urgent nationwide diphtheria vaccination campaign in schools following an outbreak at King’s College, Lagos, that led to the death of a 12-year-old student and the hospitalisation of several others.
Caused by a toxin produced by corynebacterium, diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease covered by one of the vaccines provided routinely through a childhood immunisation schedule.
The bacterial infection usually affects the mucous membranes of the nose and throat.
During plenary on Wednesday, March 12, lawmakers expressed concerns over the growing number of diphtheria cases in the country and the potential threat it posed to schoolchildren.
The motion, moved by the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, called for swift intervention to prevent further spread of the highly contagious infection.
Citing data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Rotimi highlighted that diphtheria had been on the rise, with over 24,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,200 deaths recorded across multiple states since 2022.
He warned that without an immediate and effective vaccination drive, more schools could experience similar outbreaks, putting millions of children at risk.
Beyond calling for mass vaccination, the lawmakers also demanded an urgent review of health and safety measures in federal unity colleges.
They emphasised the need for improved infection prevention strategies and a stronger emergency response framework to ensure student safety.
Additionally, they urged relevant agencies to step up public awareness campaigns to educate parents and school authorities about the risks and prevention of diphtheria.
Following the motion’s adoption, the House directed the Federal Ministry of Health, the NCDC, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to intensify efforts to curb the outbreak.
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Education to assess health infrastructure in unity schools and establish clear guidelines for handling infectious disease outbreaks. The lawmakers further urged the government to provide support and compensation to the family of the deceased student.
Lagos outbreak raises alarm
The call for a nationwide vaccination drive was in the wake of the diphtheria outbreak at King’s College, Victoria Island Annexe, where a 12-year-old student died after developing complications.
The Lagos State Government confirmed that 14 other students were hospitalised, out of which 12 responded well to antibiotics and diphtheria antitoxin therapy.
The state commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, revealed on Tuesday, March 11, that the late student had initially reported symptoms at the school’s health facility before being transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
The Lagos health authorities have since launched an emergency response, screening students, distributing antibiotics, and implementing stricter infection control measures in classrooms and dormitories.
The state government also announced plans to extend the vaccination exercise to other schools.
The outbreak at King’s College has reignited concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness for handling infectious diseases in school environments.
“We were very concerned about what is going on in this King’s College annex, following an outbreak of diphtheria fever, which has been going on now for a little over 10 days, and we have had a number of children falling sick.
“Unfortunately, the very first child that developed the fever passed away at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital from the severe complications of diphtheria. That happens when we don’t intervene fast enough, when the child is not diagnosed and the disease progresses and starts to produce complications.
“Subsequently, once we identified that this was diphtheria, we were able to screen other children, and we took the children to various hospitals where they were screened, assessed, and given appropriate antibiotics, the appropriate antiserum. Twelve of those 14 received antibiotics and the antiserum, and they are all being observed, both in the hospital and some of them back here, and all of them are doing well,” the commissioner said.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M