FCTA deploys response team as diphtheria kills two in Abuja

By Daniel Tyokua

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it has stepped up measures to contain diphtheria following the confirmation of five cases and two deaths in the Territory.

Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, FCTA, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this during at a community sensitisation and advocacy programme on diphtheria in Karshi.

She said the administration has deployed a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to Karshi and surrounding communities to intensify surveillance, trace contacts, administer preventive antibiotics and conduct community sensitisation.

Fasawe revealed that 15 suspected cases had been investigated as of last week, with five confirmed through laboratory testing, resulting in two deaths, while several patients had been successfully treated and discharged.

The mandate secretary explained that diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that affects the nose, throat and, occasionally, the skin, warning residents against self-medication or attempts to remove the pseudo-membrane that forms at the back of an infected person’s throat.

She recounted an incident in which a child reportedly bled to death after a local barber attempted to cut the membrane, urging residents to immediately report suspected cases to health authorities.

According to her, the FCTA is strengthening community engagement in local languages, including Hausa and Gbagyi, to ensure early detection, treatment and prevention of further transmission.

The Chief of Karshi, Ismaila Mohammed, clarified that the recorded deaths did not occur directly in Karshi town but in a neighbouring border settlement in Nasarawa State.

He commended the government’s prompt response and pledged the support of traditional and religious leaders in encouraging residents to take sick children to designated health facilities rather than relying on unverified local remedies.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), represented by Hanatu Bello, assured that the agency was providing technical and operational support to the FCT to interrupt transmission and strengthen risk communication.

The FCT Coordinator of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Imaobong Adebayo, represented by Dr. Jibril Alkasim, stressed the importance of routine childhood immunisation, noting that vaccine-preventable outbreaks highlighted the need to close existing immunisation gaps.

Director, FCT Public Health Department, Teresa Nwachukwu, also assured residents that the FCT had active outbreak response structures covering surveillance, case management and risk communication.

She said available data showed that children aged five to nine were the most vulnerable, urging parents to ensure timely childhood immunisation, maintain clean environments and seek medical attention early when symptoms occur.

This version gives the story a clearer news peg: two deaths → FCTA response → reassurance → expert warnings, while removing some repetition and correcting the inconsistencies in the original draft.

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