Health
JUST-IN: Diphtheria Hits King’s College, Parents Blame Poor Hygiene
A diphtheria outbreak at King’s College, Lagos (KCL), has sparked outrage among parents, who blamed poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene for the spread of the deadly bacterial infection.
The outbreak, which has resulted in multiple hospitaliSations and one confirmed fatality among students, has prompted the Lagos State Government to activate its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to contain the situation.
Parents have long raised concerns about the deteriorating condition of the school’s facilities, citing issues such as unsanitary toilets, poor waste management, and unhygienic food preparation.
Many believed these conditions created a breeding ground for infections, making students vulnerable to diphtheria and other illnesses.
A concerned parent, speaking anonymously, questioned why the school had initially downplayed the situation despite clear signs of a looming outbreak.
“If hygiene wasn’t an issue, why are students suddenly wearing nose masks? Why were some rushed to LUTH for treatment? This could have been prevented if the school took health and sanitation seriously,” she said.
Reports suggest that students had shown symptoms of diphtheria weeks before the official confirmation, with some parents claiming their children were diagnosed in external hospitals.
However, attempts to raise these concerns within the school’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) were reportedly dismissed.
Following the outbreak, King’s College management issued consent forms requesting parents’ approval for their children to receive diphtheria vaccinations.
The immunization campaign, carried out in collaboration with the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, aims to boost immunity among students and prevent further spread.
The Lagos State government, reacting swiftly, activated its Emergency Response Committee.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, confirmed that the index case was a 12-year-old student who reported to the school’s clinic on February 22 with a sore throat and fever.
“He was referred to LUTH, where he received antibiotics and diphtheria antitoxin serum.
However, despite medical intervention, he succumbed to severe myocarditis—a known complication of diphtheria toxin—on March 6.
At the time of his death, 34 close contacts were already under medical observation. Of these, 14 students developed symptoms and were transferred to LUTH for screening.
Twelve were confirmed to have early-stage diphtheria and placed on immediate treatment,” the Commissioner disclosed.
Abayomi averred that the state government has now launched a mass vaccination campaign for students at both the Victoria Island Annexe and the Main School in Igbosere, extending immunization efforts to teachers and healthcare providers, adding that a health inspection at King’s College revealed gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, which officials have vowed to address immediately.
“To curb further spread, the government is distributing diphtheria awareness materials across schools and hospitals in Lagos.
A public health advisory is also being prepared to educate residents on symptoms, prevention, and early treatment.
“With nearly 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines available, health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), are collaborating to contain the outbreak and prevent future occurrences, he stated.
Parents, however, insisted that the root cause of the problem must be addressed. Many were calling for urgent government intervention to improve water supply, sanitation, waste management, and healthcare facilities in the school.
One disraut mother, whose son was hospitalised for over a week, lamented the poor conditions students endure. “This is not just about diphtheria.
The entire school environment is unhealthy.
If nothing changes, we will keep seeing outbreaks of diseases that could have been prevented with basic hygiene,” she said.
As the State Emergency Operations Centre continues to monitor the evolving situation, Commissioner Abayomi has urged Lagosians to prioritise hygiene, avoid crowded environments, and seek immediate medical attention if experiencing diphtheria symptoms.
He reassured the public that the outbreak is under control, and proactive measures will continue to protect students and prevent future health crises.
The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Monday began an indefinite strike on Monday.
This was disclosed in a communique issued by the ARD-FCT on Monday, signed by its President, Dr. George Ebong, and General-Secretary, Dr. Agbor Affiong.
The association had embarked on a seven-day warning strike last Monday to press home its demands, following months of unresolved negotiations with the FCTA.
Details later.
Health
Overworked RSUTH Resident Doctor Slump, Dies on Duty
What happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patients.
Dr Oluwafemi Rotifa, a young resident doctor at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) collapsed and died after a gruelling 72-hour call duty.
Ohibaba.com reliably gathered that the deceased doctor, fondly called Femoski by colleagues, was a former President of the Port Harcourt University Medical Students’ Association, PUMSA, and was registered with the United Kingdom’s General Medical Council, awaiting placement abroad.
The President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, Dr. Tope Osundara, who confirmed Rotifa’s death, said that the deceased doctor had been on continuous call duty for three days in the Emergency Room before he retreated to the call room to rest.
It was there that he slumped and later died, despite efforts to resuscitate him in the Intensive Care Unit.
“What happened is that he was on call in the Emergency Room. Afterward, he went to the call room to rest, and it was there that he died. Unfortunately, he was the only one attending to the patients.
“The overuse of manpower strained his health and led to this painful death. It was a death on duty,” Osundara lamented.
From manipulated images to out-of-context photos, false claims that Donald Trump is seriously ill — or even dead — have swirled online, with the misinformation persisting even after the US president publicly rejected it on Tuesday.
At a White House press conference, Trump dismissed social media rumours about his health as “fake news,” following the 79-year-old’s noticeable absence from public appearances and press events last week.
Since last Friday, there were around 104,000 mentions of the hashtag “Trump dead” on the Elon Musk-owned platform X, generating a cumulative 35.3 million views, according to an analysis from the misinformation watchdog NewsGuard.
Some social media users cited online maps purportedly showing road closures near Maryland’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre as evidence that Trump was being treated for a serious ailment at the facility.
But there were no credible reports of road closures around the medical facility.
Other social media users shared an image of an ambulance parked outside the White House, claiming it was taken last month and citing it as evidence of a health crisis involving Trump.
It was actually an old photo posted by a journalist on X in April 2023 — while Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was still in office, according to NewsGuard.
Some users claiming that Trump was dead shared an out-of-context image of the White House flag flying at half-staff, a traditional gesture used to honour the death of a prominent official.
In reality, Trump had issued a proclamation last week ordering flags at the White House, military posts, and naval stations across the country to be lowered in honour of the victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis.
Some users also posted a zoomed-in image of Trump’s face, claiming it showed a deep line above his eye that indicated a recent stroke.
But NewsGuard found that the original image was out of focus and showed no signs of a line over Trump’s eye. The image used in the false posts was digitally enhanced using an AI tool.
The misinformation — which appeared to originate from liberal anti-Trump accounts on X, Bluesky, and Instagram — persisted even after Trump stated on Truth Social over the weekend: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”
The falsehoods continued to circulate following Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, where he publicly dismissed the health rumours.
Shortly after the conference, one Bluesky account falsely claimed that the “White House just announced” the president was dead.
The falsehoods highlight how facts are increasingly under assault on a misinformation-filled internet landscape, an issue exacerbated by public distrust of institutions and traditional media.
The health of US presidents has always been closely watched, but with the White House seeing its two oldest ever occupants since 2017, the scrutiny is now heavier than ever.
Trump — the oldest man ever to be elected US president — has alleged that Democrats covered up the mental and physical decline of Biden, who was 82 when he left office in January.
Biden’s health was a key issue in the 2024 election, and the then-president was forced to drop his campaign for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Trump.
AFP
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