The Enugu State Government says there is currently no confirmed case of diphtheria in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, made the clarification following a suspected case reported at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Enugu.
Ugwu said the case was investigated by health authorities, but the diagnosis of diphtheria could not be confirmed, with the patient instead suspected to have tonsillitis.
“So far, there is no confirmed case of diphtheria in Enugu State. However, the Ministry of Health remains vigilant and is taking all necessary measures to protect the people of the state,” he said.
He said the ministry’s Public Health and Surveillance Unit remains on alert to ensure early detection and prompt response to any suspected case.
The commissioner urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information.
He advised residents experiencing symptoms such as fever, sore throat, difficulty swallowing, cough, difficulty breathing, neck swelling or a greyish-white membrane in the throat to seek medical attention promptly.
Ugwu urged parents and guardians to ensure that children are fully immunised with diphtheria-containing vaccines, including the pentavalent vaccine.
He also called on healthcare workers to promptly report suspected cases and maintain appropriate infection-prevention and control measures.
Several states have recorded confirmed cases of diphtheria, a vaccine-preventable disease.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has said eight states account for 98 per cent of confirmed cases, with 68 per cent of the cases involving unvaccinated people.
The affected states are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara.
