The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has taken its campaign against diphtheria to Karshi community to prevent the further spread of the disease.

The programme was tagged: “Advocacy Campaign/Community Engagement on the Prevention and Control of Diphtheria in Karshi Community of the FCT.”

Speaking at the programme, the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCTA, Adedolapo Fasawe, said the administration had received alerts of diphtheria cases in some FCT communities in recent weeks.

She said that, as of the end of the previous week, 15 suspected cases had been investigated, with five laboratory-confirmed cases, while the others were discarded after investigation.

Ms Fasawe said two deaths were recorded among the five confirmed cases, prompting the administration to activate a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team.

“The teams have conducted active case searches to identify people with symptoms.

“Close contacts are being identified, listed and monitored, while eligible household contacts receive preventive antibiotics.

“Samples have been collected and sent for laboratory testing, and healthcare workers are sensitised on early detection, infection prevention and control, and prompt notification.

“In Karshi, surveillance and vaccination teams have already been deployed to priority settlements, including Angwan Kokosa and surrounding communities.

“Working with supervisors, town announcers, traditional and religious leaders, schools and health facilities, these teams are conducting active case searches, assessing vaccination gaps and identifying children who have missed their routine vaccination.

“Our vaccination efforts will prioritise zero-dose and under-immunised children.

“I therefore appeal to every parent and caregiver to please check your child’s vaccination card. If you are unsure whether your child has received all the recommended doses, take the child to the nearest primary healthcare centre.

“Even if the vaccination card is missing, please do not stay away. Our health workers will assess the child’s vaccination status and guide you appropriately,” Ms Fasawe stressed.

She said the FCTA would intensify risk communication and community engagement in languages understood by residents.

According to her, accurate information must reach households, schools, marketplaces, places of worship and motor parks.

Ms Fasawe also urged private hospitals that manage suspected diphtheria cases to isolate affected persons and refer them to the nearest secondary healthcare facility.

Jubril Al-Kasim, FCT state coordinator, World Health Organisation (WHO), represented by Imaobong Adebayo, urged FCT residents to seek medical attention whenever they suspected symptoms of diphtheria.

Ms Al-Kasim said the disease was preventable through vaccination, adding that vaccine uptake could improve if residents made themselves available for immunisation.

“We hope that after this engagement we’ll be able to get the buy-in of our traditional leaders and religious leaders to help us see how we can interrupt the transmission of diphtheria in Karshi.

“We have recorded so many cases from this community this year, and we hope that with the kind of awareness this campaign will bring, we’ll be able to interrupt transmission.

“We also want to encourage the leaders present here to help us encourage our mothers and caregivers to improve the uptake of routine immunisation within our communities.

“Vaccines are free, they are safe, they are available for our children, and we hope that with improved uptake, we’ll be able to ensure that we don’t have this kind of outbreak going forward,” Ms Al-Kasim said.

Hannatu Bello, Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), said the agency was ready to support efforts to prevent disease outbreaks in the FCT.

“As we all know, NCDC is tasked with the responsibility of preventing, detecting and responding.

“I am here today in my capacity as the Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer to give my own support, technical support, for everyone to know what to do about diphtheria.

“We need to know the needful in order to have all preventive and control measures in place, and make sure that we are able to kick it out of our communities as soon as possible,” she said.

Ahmed Doka, district head of Karshi, said community leaders would do everything within their reach to support the advocacy. 

(NAN)