The closure affects four local government areas as health officials cite vaccine gaps and a shortage of diphtheria antitoxin behind the rising toll.
The Plateau State Government has ordered the temporary closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools as part of measures to contain a diphtheria outbreak that has killed at least 23 people since early last month.
The directive, signed on Saturday by Joyce Lohya Ramnap, Commissioner for Information and Communication, on the authority of Governor Caleb Manaseh Mutfwang, takes effect from Monday, 7 September, and applies to all basic education institutions, including schools that had already resumed academic activities.
The order specifically targets Jos North, Jos South, Bassa and Wase local government areas, where suspected cases have been concentrated.
“The directive under the leadership of His Excellency, Caleb Manaseh Mutfwang, Esq, is taking preventative measures against the diphtheria infection outbreak of suspected cases in some parts of the state,” Ramnap said, urging proprietors, teachers, parents and guardians to ensure children remain at home throughout the closure.
Scale of the outbreak
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday, Health Commissioner Nicholas Baamlong said the state had recorded roughly 148 suspected diphtheria cases, with nine patients currently hospitalised, at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where isolation centres have been established for suspected cases.
A resident of Jos North separately told The Guardian that four additional, unconfirmed deaths had occurred in the area, which would put the toll at 27, a figure the state government has not officially verified.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection affecting the upper respiratory tract and, less commonly, the skin, producing a toxin that can damage the heart and nervous system.
It is vaccine-preventable, but requires multiple doses and boosters to sustain immunity. According to the World Health Organisation, diphtheria can be fatal in around 30 per cent of untreated cases, with young children at the highest risk.
Vaccine gaps and antitoxin shortage
Baamlong expressed concern over the limited national availability of diphtheria antitoxin, and said the state had alerted the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), requesting materials for sample collection and laboratory confirmation, some of which had since been received.
He said some affected children had either not been vaccinated or had incomplete immunisation, urging parents to ensure their children complete routine immunisation schedules.
He also attributed some deaths to late presentation at health facilities, urging parents and caregivers to seek prompt medical attention once symptoms appear.
NCDC Director-General Muhammad Adamu-Abbas separately urged traditional medicine practitioners and barbers to avoid attempting to treat suspected diphtheria cases themselves, and to refer patients promptly to health facilities instead.
Sensitisation and next steps
Baamlong said the government has intensified sensitisation and vaccination campaigns in affected communities, and urged residents to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene while avoiding overcrowding to limit further transmission.
He said consultations were ongoing with school authorities over concerns that reopening classrooms could increase contact among children and accelerate the disease’s spread, a concern that ultimately led to Saturday’s closure directive.
The government said the closure would remain in force until further notice, pending improvement in the outbreak situation.
