Plateau State reports 469 suspected diphtheria cases and 31 deaths

Plateau State has seen 469 suspected cases of diphtheria and 31 deaths since the state started noticing children with symptoms of the disease in early 2026, according to the state government.

The Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Ba’amlong, shared this information on Thursday in Jos. He mentioned that 160,000 children have been vaccinated as part of efforts to control the outbreak.

Mr Ba’amlong said the outbreak became a serious public health issue in August when suspected cases rose. This led the government to step up vaccination, monitoring, and community awareness in affected areas.

Currently, 17 patients are receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau Specialist Hospital. Isolation centres have been set up for suspected diphtheria cases there.

Ten of the state’s 17 local government areas have reported suspected cases. These areas include Jos North, Jos South, Wase, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Kanam, Pankshin, Shendam, Bassa, and Mikang.

Jos North has the highest number of suspected cases, Mr Ba’amlong said. Health authorities continue to monitor and respond to the situation in these communities.

The government has provided medications to JUTH and Plateau Specialist Hospital to help treat patients and improve the management of suspected cases.

Mr Ba’amlong noted that the number of cases is going down. He credits this decrease to the increased vaccination, monitoring, and public awareness campaigns.

The state has also contacted the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for more diphtheria vaccines to keep the immunisation efforts going in affected areas.

The commissioner urged parents to make sure their children get all the required routine vaccinations. He pointed out that some of the children affected by the disease either did not get vaccinated or did not finish their immunisation schedules.

Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that can be dangerous and spreads through respiratory droplets and close contact, especially among people who are not properly vaccinated.