The Senate has called on the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC and National Primary Health Care Development Agency to as a matter of urgency, halt the spread of Diphtheria in Nigeria.
The Senate has also urged the Federal Government to increase funding for all institutions involved in the production and distribution of vaccines so as to effectively tackle the prevalence of communicable diseases in Nigeria.
The Upper Chamber has also mandated all relevant agencies to carry out a nationwide vaccination to curb the spread of Diphtheria in the country.
The Senate also urged all relevant health agencies in the country to liase with health ministries in Kaduna and other neighboring states to intensify contact- tracing with a view to curbing Diphtheria spread.
Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion on the spread of Diphtheria in Kaduna which has resulted to several deaths in the state and its environs.
The motion was sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung, PDP, Kaduna South.
In his presentation, Senator Katung who raised the alarm over the spread of Diphtheria in Kaduna which has resulted to several deaths in the state and its environs, noted that the airborne disease which can also be transmitted via fluid exchange has become a major health challenge that requires urgent government attention.
According to him, Kaduna State Government has confirmed that the death toll from the diphtheria outbreak in the State has risen to 17 with 68 suspected cases identified across the state as at Sunday the 23rd of July 2023;
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Senator Katung noted that a breakdown shows 10 people have reportedly died from the disease in Kafanchan, Jema'a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while 3 children died in Makarfi Local Government Area, while seven others were hospitalized;
He also disclosed that diphtheria is a highly contagious, infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheria rendering infected people struck with serious breathing and swallowing problems that may develop sores on the skin.
The Senator said, "The highly contagious nature of the disease means that without immediate and concerted efforts towards curbing it, the disease would spread at a devastating rate especially considering the communal and poor living conditions in most rural communities in Nigeria."
In his contribution, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, LP, rAbia Central Senatorial who lamented the state of government control hospitals in the country especially the National Hospital in Abuja, said that Nigeria should stop fire brigade approach to issue of health in the country while urging the Senate to suspend plenary one day and pay visit to the national hospital to assess the level of decay and poor medical facilities.
