The vaccine will start to work in their body to build up their immune system that already exists from their childhood immunization
Diphtheria at King’s College- The administration of Lagos State initiated an emergency vaccination exercise for diphtheria yesterday, with the purpose of preventing the spread of the highly contagious disease among the students and staff of the King’s College Annex, which is located on Victoria Island.
As a result of the outbreak of the sickness that resulted in the death of a pupil who was 12 years old, a number of parents have requested that their children and grandchildren remain inside their homes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and high-ranking officials from the state government visited and inspected the school in order to evaluate the situation and monitor the vaccination program.
Among the high-ranking government officials who came to visit the institution are the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, as well as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi; the Permanent Secretary of Lagos Health District III, Dr. Monsurat Adeleke; and the Director of Epidemiology, Biosecurity, and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam.
In addition to the kitchen, dining hall, dorms, classrooms, sickbay, sanitary areas, and waste disposal systems, the crew also evaluated other important facilities at the school.
Professor Abayomi addressed the students and emphasized the significance of personal and environmental hygiene. And also urged the students to develop the habit of washing their hands properly and to promptly report any symptoms of diphtheria.
Prof. Abayomi said, “We have been sent here by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the entire Executive Council. We discussed this in detail at the Cabinet meeting. We were very concerned about what is going on in this King’s College Annex, an outbreak of diphtheria fever, which has been going on now for a little over 10 days, and we have had a number of children falling sick.
“Unfortunately, the very first child that developed the fever passed away at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital from the severe complications of diphtheria. That happens when we don’t intervene fast enough when the child is not diagnosed, and the disease progresses and starts to produce complications.
“Subsequently, once we identified that this was diphtheria, we were able to screen other children, and we took the children to various hospitals where they have been screened, assessed, and given appropriate antibiotics, the appropriate antiserum.
“12 of those 14 received antibiotics and the antiserum, and they are all being observed, both in the hospital and some of them back here, and all of them are doing well.
“To further interrupt the transmission of the bacteria from child to child, we’ve come to inspect the school to look at the sanitary conditions, to look at the ablution facilities, to look at the dormitories, to look at the classrooms, because this is a disease that spreads airborne by droplet, so it’s more likely to spread when living environments are crowded.”
It was strongly recommended by Abayomi that parents give their permission for their children to receive the vaccine.
“Because they are minors, we cannot vaccinate them without parental consent. So, all the children have a consent form signed by their parents, they are going to receive the vaccine today.
“The vaccine will start to work in their body to build up their immune system that already exists from their childhood immunization and make it even more robust so that if they come into contact with a child that has the fever and is exporting the bacteria in their droplets, that they are not likely to catch the diphtheria fever.”
IREPORT247NEW reported that Prof. Akin Abayomi, the state commissioner for Health, issued a press statement in which he disclosed these details. He urged the people of Lagos to be calm and reassured them that there was no significant reason for concern.
In order to control the spread and avoid unnecessary deaths, he said, an Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) has already been activated.
The index case, a 12-year-old boy, was admitted to the paediatric emergency ward of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on February 22 after presenting with a fever and sore throat at the school’s health facilities, according to Abayomi.There, he was given the necessary antibiotics and a full dose of diphtheria and toxoid serum.
“Despite the timely intervention, the boy succumbed to progressive and irreversible inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) on the 6th of March. Myocarditis is a severe and recognized complication of the bacterial infection caused by the toxin.
Read more https://ireport247news.com/2025/03/11/diphtheria-kings-college-index-case-lasg-verifies-death/