There is no confirmed case of diphtheria in Enugu State – Govt.

The Enugu State Government says there is no confirmed case of diphtheria in the state and urged residents to disregard unfounded rumours.

The Commissioner for Health, Prof George Ugwu, said this at a news briefing in Enugu, on Wednesday, while giving an update on the rumoured case of a diphtheria patient at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu.

“In response to this, the Public Health and Surveillance Unit of the State Ministry of Health are already at alert to ensure appropriate prevention control measure and early detection as may be necessary.

“A few days ago, there was a report of suspected case of diphtheria at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, which was followed up by our team.

“However, the diagnosis of diphtheria could not be sustained or confirmed; while the patient, who was rumoured and suspected to have diphtheria, had tonsillitis,” the commissioner said.

According to him, contact traces and other appropriate measures are ongoing and yet diphtheria was not diagnosed or confirmed in the state.

He explained that the suspected patient had been traced to his home in Achara Layout, Enugu and he did not have any record of travel and had not been to the northern part of the country as rumoured.

“Our surveillance and tracing teams have also contacted his family members and others but no trace of diphtheria was established,” Ugwu said.

He further said that, although the state had remained on high alert against infectious diseases, “Enugu State is never at high risk of contacting diphtheria.

“For the state, we have a robust routine and mop up vaccination, especially on Penta 3, which provides effective immunisation against diphtheria for a whole life time.

“In 2026 vaccination, we had 91 per cent record of coverage on Penta 3 vaccination, which is even above the national target or threshold,” he said.

The commissioner urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information as well as seek medical attention promptly, if they developed symptoms of any sickness.

He said: “The ministry is calling on parents and caregivers to ensure children are fully immunised with diphtheria containing vaccines (Penta 3).

“Residents are urged to follow the advice of health authorities during contact tracing and monitoring.

“Healthcare workers are urged to maintain appropriate standard precautions, promptly notify suspected cases through the surveillance system and ensure appropriate infection prevention and control measures.

“The Enugu State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with UNTH and relevant international partners, continues to monitor the situation and will be proactive for further information as necessary,” Ugwu said.

It will be recalled that there is an outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria and 19,799 suspected cases sent for molecular laboratory test.

There were 15,309 confirmed cases and 517 confirmed deaths in 26 states and 357 Local Government Areas.

The worst affected states, accounting for over 98 per cent cases of diphtheria, are Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Kastina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Plateau according to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

Diphtheria is a serious but vaccine- preventable bacterial disease that can spread through respiratory droplets and close contact.

Symptoms of Diphtheria include fever, sore throat, difficulty or pain when swallowing, cough, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the neck, and greyish/white membrane in the throat.