Reps Demand Mandatory Diphtheria Immunisation

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the National Health Care Development Agency (NHCDA) to enforce the mandatory diphtheria immunisation, testing, and treatment across healthcare centres in all the 774 local government areas.

This was a sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance on the ‘Need to mitigate the spread of Diphtheria: A major public health concern in Nigeria to save lives’, sponsored by Hon. Kwamoti Laori (PDP, Adamawa) at plenary on Wednesday.

Moving the motion, Laori noted that Diphtheria, a bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium species, had become a critical public health issue since the first outbreak in Borno in 2011, which claimed 21 lives.

The lawmaker said the current resurgence of the infection posed significant threats to Nigeria’s already overburdened public health system.

He noted that: “Diphtheria, which affects the nose, throat, skin, and in severe cases, the heart, is transmitted through respiratory droplets, contaminated objects, and crowded unsanitary environments, making its spread remarkably rapid among children and those with compromised immune systems in overcrowded communities.

“Diphtheria thrives in Africa due to low vaccination rates while remaining virtually absent in countries like the United States of America and Europe, where vaccination coverage is high. Diphtheria primarily threatens unvaccinated individuals who travel internationally or come into contact with infected persons.

“In Africa, nations such as Niger, Gabon, and Mauritania have reported outbreaks with only a handful of confirmed deaths due to effective vaccination coverage, early detection, laboratory confirmation, and the availability of antitoxins and antibiotics for treatment. In stark contrast, Nigeria’s statistics paint a dire picture, with thousands of reported cases and associated deaths due to low or absence of vaccination.”

Laori raised the alarm that from May 2022 to February 2025, Nigeria reported 41,978 suspected cases of diphtheria from Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, and Katsina, with Kano and Yobe States accounting for the highest numbers—24,062 and 5330, respectively.

According to the lawmaker, most cases were children, aged 1-14, and only 19.7% were fully vaccinated, resulting in 1,279 deaths within that period.

He expressed concern that: “if nothing is done, the high case fatality rate could worsen and spread outside of the states already impacted, underscoring the urgency of improving on the low vaccination rates, ineffective antitoxins and treatments, and delays in clinical detection and test confirmation that fuel this outbreak.”

Adopting the motion, the House asked the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to raise public awareness through sensitisation campaigns regarding diphtheria’s dangers, symptoms, and transmission modes to prevent further spread and fatalities.

It mandated the joint committees on health to assess compliance with the mandatory Diphtheria immunisation, the capacity of health institutions to effectively respond to the current threat of infection spread across the country, and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.