The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to initiate large-scale diphtheria vaccination and awareness campaigns in schools nationwide to curb the spread of the disease.
This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, in response to the recent diphtheria outbreak at King’s College, Lagos.
Leading the debate, Rotimi revealed that the outbreak led to the death of a 12-year-old student and the hospitalization of several others. He noted that the incident exposed weaknesses in infection prevention and control measures within schools.
In adopting the motion, the House directed its Committees on Health and Basic Education to collaborate with relevant agencies, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to strengthen infection prevention and emergency response mechanisms in schools.
Additionally, the House mandated the NCDC to establish a structured disease surveillance system in all federal unity colleges to ensure early detection and prompt response to infectious disease outbreaks.
