(Dr Adedolapo Fasawe(M), During The Advocacy Event. Photo by Vanguard News)
Diphtheria has killed two people in Abuja out of five confirmed cases, and health authorities are working to stop the disease from spreading further.
According to the FCT health department, investigators looked into 15 suspected cases so far.
Five of those tested positive, and two patients died.
Several others have been treated successfully and sent home.
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that attacks the nose, throat and sometimes the skin.
It starts with fever, cough and cold symptoms, then gets worse with neck swelling and severe breathing problems.
If left untreated, it can be deadly.
Health officials warned residents against trying to treat it themselves.
There’s a tragic story about a child who bled to death after a local barber tried to cut a membrane in the child’s throat.
Officials say people should never attempt that.
Instead, anyone who suspects they have diphtheria needs to go to a hospital immediately.
The government has sent a team to Karshi and surrounding areas to track down people who had contact with infected patients and give them preventive antibiotics.
They’re also talking to communities in local languages to educate people about the disease.
The traditional leader of Karshi clarified that the two deaths didn’t actually happen in Karshi town itself but in a nearby settlement near Nasarawa State.
He promised that traditional and religious leaders would encourage people to take sick children to proper health centres instead of trying home remedies.
Health officials stressed there’s no need to panic.
The disease is preventable through routine childhood vaccines, which are free.
They urged parents to keep their children’s vaccinations up to date.
Kids aged five to nine are at highest risk.
Keeping the environment clean and going to the hospital early if symptoms appear are also important.
