The Senate has called on the Federal Ministry of Health, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHDA) to halt the spread of diphtheria in Nigeria by immediately commencing the immunisation of vulnerable Nigerians against the disease following the deaths of 20 people in Kaduna State.
The upper legislative chamber on Wednesday 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 the country.
It also directed relevant agencies to carry out a nationwide vaccination to curb the spread of diphtheria in the country.
The Senate’s resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung (PDP, Kaduna South), who raised alarm over the spread of diphtheria in Kaduna, which has resulted in several deaths in the state and its environs.
He noted that the airborne disease, which can also be transmitted via fluid exchange, has become a major health challenge that requires urgent government attention.
According to him, the Kaduna State Government has confirmed that the death toll from the diphtheria outbreak in the state has risen to 17, with 68 suspected cases identified across the state as of Sunday, July 23, 2023.
Senator Katung noted that a breakdown shows 10 people have reportedly died from the disease in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while three children died in Makarfi Local Government Area and seven others hospitalised.
He also disclosed that diphtheria is a highly contagious disease caused by a bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheria that strikes affected people with serious breathing and swallowing problems and sores on the skin.
“The highly contagious nature of the disease means that without immediate and concerted efforts towards curbing it, the disease would spread at a devastating rate, especially considering the communal and poor living conditions in most rural communities in Nigeria,” he stressed.
Contributing, Senator Darlington Nwokocha (PDP Abia Central) lamented the bad conditions in state government hospitals in the country, including the National Hospital in Abuja, urging the Senate to suspend plenary one day and visit the National Hospital to assess the level of decay of the medical facilities there.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who thanked Katung for bringing the motion, noted that it would save lives and prevent the country from going into a pandemic.
“This one has a preventable solution. Everyone should be up and doing so that this disease does not reach a pandemic level,” he added.
The Senate later unanimously urged all relevant health agencies to liaise with health ministries in Kaduna and other neighbouring states to intensify contact tracing with a view to curbing the spread of diphtheria in the country.
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