Senate Raises Alarm Over Diphtheria, Ask FG To Halt Spread

The Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency have been urged by the Senate to halt the spread of diphtheria across Nigeria.

It also urged the federal government to increase funding for all institutions involved in the production and distribution of vaccines so as to effectively tackle the prevalence of communicable diseases in Nigeria.

It directed relevant agencies to carry out a nationwide vaccination to curb the spread of Diphtheria in the country.

The resolution followed a motion by Senator Sunday Katung (Kaduna South), who said the spread of diphtheria in Kaduna had resulted in several deaths in the state and its environs.

He said the Kaduna State Government had confirmed that the death toll from the diphtheria outbreak in the state had risen to 17 with 68 suspected cases identified across the state as of Sunday.

The Senate urged all relevant health agencies in the country to liaise with health ministries in Kaduna and neighboring states to intensify contact-tracing with a view to curbing diphtheria spread.