LAGOS STATE GOVT ACTIVATES EMERGENCY RESPONSE AFTER OUTBREAK OF DIPHTHERIA IN SCHOOL
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The boarding house of King’s College, Victoria Island Annexe, experienced a diphtheria outbreak, prompting the Lagos State Government to activate its Emergency Response Committee.
In order to contain the spread and avoid unnecessary deaths, an Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) has been established, according to Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi, who has urged the people not to panic.
According to Abayomi, the index case, a 12-year-old boy, arrived at the school’s health facilities on February 22 with a fever and sore throat. He was immediately referred to the pediatric emergency ward of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where he was given a full dose of diphtheria ant toxoid serum and the necessary antibiotics.
Said the Commissioner:”Despite the timely intervention, the boy succumbed to progressive and irreversible inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) on the 6th of March. Myocarditis is a severe and recognized complication of the bacterial infection caused by the toxin. The Commissioner noted that at the time of his death, an Emergency Operation Committee had already been activated and 34 close contacts of the deceased student were already being closely observed for symptoms.
“Of these, 14 have developed symptoms consistent with diphtheria. In response, the affected students were transported to the Children’s Emergency Unit at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where they were screened by health professionals.”
Twelve of the 14 who underwent examination were found to have early symptoms of diphtheria and were admitted to receive antibiotics and the Diphtheria Ant Toxoid Serum. All 14 of the afflicted pupils are getting better, and no new cases have emerged as of yet.
Abayomi stated that health officials’ initial examination of King’s College Annexe revealed places in which infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures need to be strengthened, and that the process will start right away.
To increase immunity against the fatal infection, the state government and federal health agencies plan to start a targeted vaccination campaign for all willing students at the school (the Main School in Igbosere and the annexe on Victoria Island), including all medical professionals. This might spread throughout the entire state.
Informational booklets about diphtheria symptoms, prevention, and early treatment options are being distributed across all Lagos healthcare facilities in order to guarantee broad public awareness. A public health notice alerting Lagos residents to the outbreak and cautioning people to be on the lookout for symptoms including fever, sore throat, breathing difficulties, and enlarged neck glands is also being prepared by the state government.
The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) are among the health agencies who have been informed of the outbreak and are working with Lagos State to organize a successful response.
As part of the emergency response to high-risk areas, Lagos will strategically distribute its nearly 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines.
Every day, the State Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) will meet to review the changing circumstances and make policy decisions. To improve inter-sectoral cooperation in addressing the outbreak, the Ministry of Basic and Tertiary Education and other stakeholders would be involved in future sessions.
Abayomi advised Lagos residents to prioritize good hygiene, avoid crowded environments, and seek medical attention immediately if experiencing diphtheria-like symptoms. “Early detection and treatment can save lives. Let’s all work together to curb this outbreak and protect our communities,” he said.
The Honourable Commissioner of Health would like to assure Lagosians that “the outbreak is under control and there is no need to panic because measures will continue in earnest of to protect our citizens from infectious disease outbreaks”.
Breathing difficulties, fever, enlarged neck glands, and throat inflammation are all symptoms of diphtheria, a bacterial infection. Additionally, the bacteria can produce a toxin that can lead to the failure of several organs, including the heart, lungs, and nerves. Avoiding crowded, poorly ventilated areas, practicing good hygiene, following the recommended vaccination schedule, and treating infections as soon as possible with antibiotics and ant toxoid serum to counteract the toxin’s organ-damaging effects are all ways to prevent diphtheria.
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