The federal government received a second request to compensate the family of the deceased student.
Diphtheria at King’s College– In an effort to prevent the spread of the potentially fatal bacterial infection, the House of Representatives has issued a plea to the federal government, requesting that it immediately begin a vaccination program against diphtheria in schools across the country.
As a result of the acceptance of a motion of urgent public concern that was moved by the House spokesman, Akin Rotimi, during the plenary session on Wednesday, the parliamentarians passed the resolution.
The motion, which was titled “The Outbreak of Diphtheria in King’s College Lagos,” brought attention to the urgent need for government assistance following the death of a student who was 12 years old due to the disease, as well as the hospitalisation of numerous other students.
Rotimi expressed his dissatisfaction with the increasing number of instances of diphtheria, citing information from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s Weekly Diphtheria Situation Report dated January 26, 2025.
The report stated that there were 24,804 confirmed cases of diphtheria throughout 25 states since 2022, with 1,269 deaths occurring in 18 states.
The importance of the Federal Ministry of Education ensuring the safety of its students in its institutions was underlined by him.
“The House is deeply concerned that this incident exposes significant lapses in infection prevention and control measures in federal unity colleges.”
In an effort to contain the spread, he praised the Lagos State Government for its prompt actions in separating students who were infected by the disease, establishing an Emergency Operations Committee, and initiating a national vaccination campaign.
The National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) were also recognised for their contributions to the fight against the disease.
To forestall the occurrence of other outbreaks, the House of Representatives issued a directive to the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Public Health and Community Development Agency, and the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to step up its vaccination and public awareness programmes in schools.
A clear response mechanism for infectious disease outbreaks was also demanded by the parliamentarians, and the Federal Ministry of Education was provided the opportunity to perform an immediate examination of the health infrastructure in unity colleges.
In addition, the House of Representatives charged its Committees on Health and Basic Education with the responsibility of coordinating with the appropriate agencies to improve the measures taken to prevent infections and respond to emergencies.
The federal government received a second request to compensate the family of the deceased student. This act was done in recognition of the unfortunate loss that had occurred and the responsibility of care that is owed to students who are enrolled in federal schools.
IREPORT247NEW recall that 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.
https://ireport247news.com/2025/03/11/diphtheria-kings-college-index-case-lasg-verifies-death/