First was the sore throat. After that came a King’s College in Lagos demise over fresh diphtheria
The World Health Organisation, limited by a recent declaration to withdraw funding by the United States, has provided prophylactic medication.
Diphtheria signs and symptoms usually begin two to five days after a person becomes infected and over at the King’s College (KC) in Lagos, it has led to the demise of an unnamed student, although the authorities say it isn’t an outbreak yet even though some online news outlets have been reporting it.
The issue of Diphtheria disease in the College has actually blown [up] out of proportion in some platforms, but the reality is far from the panic, says the secondary school’s Chairperson of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), Peter Oluwaleye, in a publicised statement last week.
Here in this moment it mirrored the year 2023, the last time the 1909-founded college experienced an attack. Two years ago, the situation reportedly displayed signs of something rather acute as it was an outbreak, which resulted in some Junior Secondary School 1 students developing blisters and fever.
Back then, it was gathered that the parents of the affected learners thought the development to be the result of a waterborne disease.
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This time in the statement, the PTA chairman was confirming that regrettably, we lost one of our students at the LUTH last week, despite the combined efforts of the family, college management, PTA executives, and hospital staff.
It is highly regretted. May his gentle soul rest in peace. Our sincere condolences to the family and the King’s College community, Peter Oluwaleye had said. While his advice had been that the school community should stay calm, the statement also confirmed measures being implemented to prevent more deaths, as is already being feared.
100 patients getting care
The World Health Organisation (WHO), limited by a recent declaration to withdraw funding by the United States of America (USA), has reportedly provided the remaining students of King’s College who showed diphtheria symptoms like sore throat and hoarseness with prophylactic medication.
Additionally, there have been more medical supplies like nose masks and other contributions made by the health body, which are meant to cater to up to 100 patients in an isolation centre where suspected cases would be treated – all within the school’s premises.
There have also been information dissemination by WHO representatives seeking to teach the students about diphtheria prevention or mitigation guidelines, having recommended that there should be the establishment of hand washing stations in the school.
Meanwhile, the King’s College academic calendar has been tweaked to accommodate second-term examinations beginning on Thursday, 13 March, at the main campus and a day after it would begin at the school’s annex.
How diphtheria has touched Nigeria generally
From March 2022 to January 2025, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported a total of 41,336 suspected diphtheria cases across the country. These cases were recorded in 350 local government areas, spanning all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The outbreak was heavily concentrated in a few states, with the following being the most affected:
Kano State: 23,784 suspected cases.
Yobe State: 5,302 suspected cases.
Katsina State: 3,708 suspected cases.
Bauchi State: 3,066 suspected cases.
Borno State: 2,902 suspected cases.
Kaduna State: 777 suspected cases.
Jigawa State: 364 suspected cases.
And the outbreak resulted in 1,262 deaths, reflecting a case fatality rate (CFR) of 5.1 percent among confirmed cases.
Vaccination Coverage
Alarmingly, only 4,963 (20 percent) of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine. This highlights significant gaps in vaccination coverage, particularly among children aged one to 14 years, who accounted for the majority of confirmed cases.
The NCDC continues to emphasise the importance of vaccination, public health campaigns, improved surveillance, and rapid response initiatives to halt further diphtheria spread. Dr Kemi Ogunyemi is a special adviser to the Lagos State Governor on health issues, and she has confirmed one of those expected quickened replies going on with the federal disease monitoring agency and the WHO.
On Sunday, 9 March 2025, they had a meeting at an undisclosed venue. The PUNCH learned that there shall be an outcome soon afterwards, like letting the press know about our meeting involving the surveillance team, the NCDC, WHO, [and] Ministry of Health.
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Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
