Editorial

The spread of diphtheria

RECENTLY, Nigeria has been facing an unprecedented scourge of diphtheria, and so soon after the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been found in eight states of the country and there have been avoidable casualties. In March, Nigeria recorded a total of 102 cases. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), there is currently an outbreak of the disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, following the first case and the death of a four-year-old child in June, and there have been multiple outbreaks across the country since December 2022, with 798 confirmed cases from 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in eight states, as well as the FCT, and more than 80 deaths. According to the agency, Kano State accounts for most of the confirmed cases, with states like Lagos, Yobe, Katsina, Cross River, Kaduna, and Osun also recording cases.

Diphtheria, according to elementary research, is an infectious disease of the nose and throat that is easily preventable by a vaccine, treatable by a medical professional, and requiring medical diagnosis. Its recent spread therefore speaks to the serious deterioration in the country’s health sector. Indeed, unless governments at all levels up their game in their respective enlightenment campaign efforts, there may not be any further options for the country beyond exasperation and complete capitulation. That would be quite disastrous. In times like these, governments at all levels should not be caught napping; they should be up and doing. They should be mustering every effort necessary to prevent the escalation of the infectious disease into a full-blown epidemic. Sadly, that has not been the case in the last few weeks when the disease has ravaged the country.

Besides, even if the country’s health sector has deteriorated to the point where it is difficult to distinguish between the primary and secondary sectors, what about the public enlightenment agencies and the ministries of Health and Information at the federal and state levels? Where are the enlightenment campaign efforts of agencies like the Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA)? Is that agency in a comatose state too? Why is it not collaborating with the Ministry of Health to give the country some relief?

A situation in which any disease is allowed to morph into an epidemic cannot be justified by any kind of logic. It is deplorable and unacceptable to watch idly while an infectious disease consumes Nigerian citizens. It is time the legendary attraction to levity in the country was curbed. We believe that every case of infectious disease outbreaks ought to be attended to and given maximum response in order to stop its spread, the continuing negative impacts, and the associated deaths. Frankly, in relation to the diphtheria outbreaks, we have not seen enough outreach and enlightenment campaigns aimed at getting the Nigerian public to know what preventive steps and actions they can take to avoid becoming victims of the disease. It is true that following the confirmation of diphtheria cases in their domains, states like Osun have rolled out mechanisms to contain its spread. However, the kind of collaborative effort required to stamp out the disease completely across the country has not yet been made. The NCDC alone cannot do the job.

We enjoin governments at all levels to put in place the necessary structures that will help to rein in the spread of this particular infectious disease immediately. The growing number of casualties must be halted. This would be in line with the responsibility of the Nigerian government to work for the protection of the health and healthy living of its citizens.

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