19 States May Re-Instate Compulsory Face Mask Wearing To Check the Spread of Diphtheria
Federal Government has asked 19 State Governments to consider re-introducing the compulsory wearing of face masks to stop the spread of diphtheria in their areas.
Executive Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Doctor Faisal Shuaib, made the call in Abuja, at the diphtheria emergency task force meeting.
The affected states are Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Jigawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Lagos, Gombe, Osun, Sokoto, Niger, Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Zamfara and Kebbi States, as well ws Federal Capital Territory.
The Director General of Nigeria Centre for disease control (NCDC), Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said 13,204 suspected cases have been recorded in the 114 Local Government Areas in 19 States, since January this year.
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Out of the 13,204 suspected cases, 8,406 were confirmed.
According to him, Kano State with 7,188 of the confirmed cases is the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria.
WHO’s Deputy Country Representative, Alexander Chimbaru, added: “It is very critical to bring traditional, religious and community leaders to support vaccination of children.
Diphtheria is a highly infectious disease and a cause for concern. The vaccines being used now are safe and effective.
“Nigeria has the pentavalent vaccine. Therefore, we applaud the government for providing the vaccines free of charge. Also, we will support in surveillance and coordination of activities in terms of communication and community engagement.
However, we need to have the communities coming on board to tackle the disease.”
Mary Boyd, the Country Director of the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) said: “I commend the government for setting up the task force for diphtheria.
In Nigeria, we are seeing quite a number of deaths, up to 14 years. We are not just addressing the specific outbreak but also building systems that will help the country to better respond to future outbreaks.
“I am hopeful that we will come out of this soon and that neighbouring countries can take a cue from Nigeria in response to the outbreak.
We need to promote vaccination; families must prioritize bringing their babies to health centres for vaccination.”
