Plateau Activates Incident Management System as Diphtheria Cases Rise to 469

The Plateau State Government has activated the Incident Management System (IMS) to strengthen its response to the ongoing diphtheria outbreak, which has so far recorded 469 suspected cases and 31 deaths across 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nicholas Ba’amlong, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Ministry of Health, State Secretariat, Jos, noting that the outbreak became a major public health concern from August after sporadic suspected cases were recorded earlier in the year.

According to him, Jos North has recorded the highest number of suspected cases with 370, followed by Wase with 29, Jos South 22, Barkin Ladi and Mangu 16 each, Pankshin 5, Kanam and Mikang 4 each, Shendam 2, and Bassa one case. He added that three cases had so far been laboratory-confirmed, while 17 patients were currently on admission.

Ba’amlong said the state’s response had included engagement and sensitisation of community leaders, intensified active case search and contact tracing, community diagnosis and treatment of mild cases, as well as provision of treatment commodities to Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital for the management of severe cases.

He added that teachers from public and private schools in Jos North had been trained on early detection of diphtheria and appropriate response measures, while vaccination campaigns had reached more than 160,000 children with diphtheria and tetanus vaccines and over 30,000 children with pentavalent vaccines.

The Commissioner said the government has also intensified media engagement through the production and airing of jingles, alongside the distribution of Information, Education and Communication materials to improve public awareness and encourage early reporting of suspected cases.

To ensure effective coordination of the response, Ba’amlong announced the appointment of Dr. Maren Job Damala as Incident Manager, with responsibility for coordinating response activities, liaising with government agencies and partners, monitoring containment efforts, facilitating resource mobilisation and ensuring regular communication with the public.

He said the next steps would include continued active case search and contact tracing, possible intensification of vaccination and community sensitisation campaigns, regular monitoring and evaluation, coordination meetings among stakeholders and transparent communication with the public.

Ba’amlong urged residents to take preventive measures, stressing that diphtheria is a highly infectious, vaccine-preventable bacterial disease, with children aged two to 14 years particularly affected in the current outbreak.

He advised parents to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated, maintain good hygiene, avoid close contact with suspected cases and seek immediate medical attention when symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, neck swelling or a white/greyish patch at the back of the throat occur. Suspected cases can be reported through 0806 548 6416 or to the State Epidemiologist on 0806 773 5845.