BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has stepped up efforts to contain diphtheria in Karshi following the confirmation of five cases and two deaths linked to the disease in the FCT.
The administration, in collaboration with health partners and community stakeholders, took its awareness and prevention campaign to Karshi as part of efforts to stop further transmission and strengthen vaccination coverage among children.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign was organised under the theme, “Advocacy Campaign/Community Engagement on the Prevention and Control of Diphtheria in Karshi Community of the FCT.”
Speaking during the community engagement, Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said the administration had received alerts of suspected diphtheria cases from different communities in the territory in recent weeks.
According to her, 15 suspected cases had been investigated as of the end of the previous week, with five confirmed through laboratory testing, while the remaining cases were ruled out after investigation.
She said the deaths of two patients among the confirmed cases had prompted the FCTA to activate a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to coordinate containment measures.
Fasawe said health teams had since intensified active case searches, contact tracing and laboratory investigations, while eligible household contacts of confirmed cases were being provided with preventive antibiotics.
She added that healthcare workers were also receiving additional sensitisation on recognising diphtheria symptoms early, infection prevention and control, as well as the need for prompt reporting of suspected cases.
“In Karshi, surveillance and vaccination teams have already been deployed to priority settlements, including Angwan Kokosa and surrounding communities,” Fasawe said.
She explained that the teams were working with community health supervisors, town announcers, traditional and religious leaders, schools and health facilities to identify suspected cases, determine vaccination gaps and trace children who had missed routine immunisation.
According to her, special attention would be given to children who had never received any routine vaccine and those who were not fully immunised.
Fasawe therefore urged parents and caregivers to check their children's vaccination records and visit the nearest primary healthcare centre if they were uncertain about their immunisation status.
She stressed that children without vaccination cards should not be denied access to the exercise, saying health workers would assess their status and provide appropriate guidance.
The FCTA Mandate Secretary also announced plans to intensify risk communication across Karshi, stressing that residents must have access to accurate information in languages they understand.
She said the campaign would extend to homes, schools, markets, places of worship and motor parks, where residents would be educated on symptoms, prevention and the need to seek treatment promptly.
Fasawe further appealed to private hospitals attending to suspected diphtheria patients to isolate such cases and refer them to the nearest secondary healthcare facility for appropriate management.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also called for stronger community participation in the fight against the disease.
The FCT State Coordinator of WHO, Dr Jubril Al-Kasim, represented by Mrs Imaobong Adebayo, urged residents to seek medical attention immediately whenever they noticed symptoms suggestive of diphtheria.
He described vaccination as one of the most effective ways of preventing the disease and appealed to community leaders to encourage parents and caregivers to embrace routine immunisation.
“We hope that after this engagement we’ll be able to get the buy-in of our traditional leaders and religious leaders to help us see how we can interrupt the transmission of diphtheria in Karshi,” he said.
Al-Kasim said the number of cases recorded from the community during the year underscored the need for stronger awareness and improved vaccine uptake.
He appealed to traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to encourage mothers and caregivers to ensure that children receive their routine vaccines.
“Vaccines are free, they are safe, they are available for our children and we hope that with more improved uptake, we’ll be able to ensure that we don’t have this kind of outbreak going forward,” he said.
Also speaking, Hajia Hannatu Bello, Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), said the agency was prepared to provide technical support to the FCT in preventing and responding to disease outbreaks.
Bello said the NCDC’s responsibility included preventing, detecting and responding to public health threats, adding that community members needed to understand the necessary steps to take to prevent diphtheria and contain its spread.
“We need to know the needful in order to have all preventive and control measures in place, and make sure that we are able to kick it out of our communities as soon as possible,” she said.
The District Head of Karshi, Alhaji Ahmed Doka, assured the health authorities that traditional and community leaders would support the campaign and mobilise residents to cooperate with health officials.
The stakeholders said sustained community awareness, early detection, prompt treatment and increased routine immunisation would be critical to preventing further deaths and stopping the spread of diphtheria in Karshi and other parts of the FCT.
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