The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has confirmed the outbreak of the deadly diphtheria in the federal territory, Abuja, after it claimed the life of a four-year-old boy out of eight reported cases.
The Director, FCT Public Health Department, Sadiq Abdulrahman, announced this on Monday at a press briefing, stating that the disease was imported from neighbouring Niger State.
Abdulrahman stated that the department has activated its emergency response to an alert of the disese at Dei-Dei in Abuja by collecting samples from suspects for test at the National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa as well as the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, noting that the outcome of the response indicated one positive result out of the eight samples.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Ishaq Vatsa, said diphtheria is caused by bacteria which signs includes fever, running nose, difficulty in breathing and can be transmitted through sneezing, droplets, coughing and contact with infected persons. He advised residents to visits the over 400 vaccines outlets across the territory to get vaccinated against the disease.
