The House of Representatives has directed the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the National Health Care Development Agency (NHCDA), to enforce the mandatory diphtheria immunisation, testing and treatment across healthcare centers in all 774 local government areas.
The House also directed the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to raise public awareness through sensitisation campaigns regarding the dangers, symptoms, and transmission modes of diphtheria to prevent further spread and fatalities.
In a resolution Wednesday the House further mandated its committees on health and health institutions to assess the level of compliance with the mandatory diphtheria immunisation, the capacity of health institutions to effectively respond to current threat of the spread across the country, and report back within four weeks.
This was fallout of a motion by Hon. Kwamoti Bitrus Laori under matters of urgent public importance that notede that the bacterial infection has become a critical public health issue since the first outbreak in Borno state in 2011.
“The outbreak’s current resurgence poses significant threats to Nigeria’s already overburdened public health system,” he said.
The lawmaker argued that the disease thrives in Africa due to low vaccination rates while remaining virtually absent in countries like the United States of America and Europe where vaccination coverage is high.
“Diphtheria primarily threatens unvaccinated individuals who travel internationally or come into contact with infected persons.
“Nations such as Niger, Gabon, and Mauritania have reported outbreaks with only a handful of confirmed deaths due to effective vaccination coverage, early detection, laboratory confirmation, and the availability of antitoxins and antibiotics for treatment,” he stated.