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Expert Urges Vaccination Against Diphtheria 

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By Safia Abdulrahman

A medical doctor at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Dr Nankwat Jeplah, has expressed concern over the continued burden of diphtheria in Nigeria, urging stronger prevention efforts and public awareness.

Jeplah said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, urging Nigerians to embrace vaccination and preventive measures to curb the disease’s spread.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in its Week 32 epidemiological report, recorded more than 10,000 confirmed diphtheria cases in 2026, reflecting the disease’s continued prevalence.

The NCDC classifies diphtheria as an emergency disease in Nigeria and has established a dedicated national surveillance and outbreak response framework to strengthen detection, monitoring, containment and response efforts.

Jeplah explained that diphtheria is a serious and highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, posing significant health risks, particularly among unvaccinated individuals and vulnerable populations nationwide.

According to him, the disease spreads through respiratory droplets produced when infected persons cough or sneeze, while contact with contaminated surfaces can also facilitate transmission and increase infection risks.

He said that individuals without symptoms could carry and transmit the infection, making early detection, surveillance, prompt diagnosis and adherence to preventive measures essential for reducing disease spread.

Jeplah said diphtheria mainly affected the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat, although it could also occur as a skin infection, resulting in additional health complications.

“Symptoms appear three to five days after exposure and include mild fever, sore throat, running nose, drooling, red eyes, neck swelling, painful or difficult swallowing, and difficulty in breathing.

“An ash-to-grey-coloured pseudomembrane covering the affected mucous membranes is a characteristic feature of diphtheria,” he said, noting that prompt medical attention remained essential for effective management.

The doctor warned that severe cases could lead to airway obstruction and oxygen desaturation, requiring urgent hospital care and, in some situations, admission to an intensive care unit.

According to him, management of severe diphtheria requires securing the patient’s airway, hospital admission and close monitoring in an intensive care unit to improve outcomes and prevent complications.

He emphasised that vaccination remained the primary preventive measure against diphtheria, warning that incomplete immunisation could contribute to increased transmission and a higher disease burden within communities.

Jeplah urged Nigerians, particularly parents and caregivers, to ensure children received recommended diphtheria-containing vaccines and seek prompt medical attention whenever symptoms suggestive of the disease were observed.

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease that can cause severe complications and death, particularly when diagnosis and treatment are delayed, highlighting the importance of vaccination and timely healthcare intervention.(NAN)

Edited by Cecilia Odey/Abiemwense Moru

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Lagos 2027 gets hot as Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour make INEC final list [FULL LIST]

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has unveiled the final list of Lagos State governorship candidate.

The list is contained in a document released by INEC on Saturday in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

According to the document, the Lagos State deputy governor, Femi Hamzat is listed at the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Also on the list is Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate.

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Find attach below document containing the full list.

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Pantami’s Name Missing As INEC Releases Final List Of Gombe Gov Candidates

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, from its final list of governorship candidates for Gombe State ahead of the February 6, 2027 election.

Politics Nigeria reports that the commission released a list of 16 cleared candidates for the election, but Pantami’s name was missing despite his earlier inclusion in the provisional list published on August 29.

Among the candidates on the final list are Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).

Others include Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu of the Labour Party (LP), Lamela L. Silas of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Adamu Mohammed Ma’aji of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Pantami’s exclusion comes amid a series of legal disputes over his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state.

The former minister had initially sought the APC governorship ticket but left the party after it settled for Gwamna as its consensus candidate. He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as the party’s flag bearer through voice affirmation at its governorship primary.

However, a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified his initial emergence on May 26, following a challenge to the primary process.

The court ordered a fresh primary election, which Pantami won on September 29 with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.

Garry had challenged Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the required primary election was not properly conducted before the former minister was declared the party’s candidate.

Despite winning the court-ordered rerun, Pantami’s eligibility remained in doubt following the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate eligibility.

The Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.

The provisions bar political parties from fielding candidates whose names were not included in the membership registers submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.

INEC has maintained that parties found to have violated the requirements will not be permitted to participate in the elections through candidates whose nominations breach the law.

Mohammed Haruna, an INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, said the commission would not allow parties to replace candidates affected by the provisions.

Haruna made the clarification during an appearance on Trust TV’s programme on Wednesday evening, explaining that allowing substitutions would enable political parties to benefit from their own violations.

INEC Chairman Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan

He cited previous disputes involving Zamfara and Plateau states to illustrate the consequences of parties failing to comply with electoral requirements.

“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” Haruna said.

He added that allowing parties to substitute candidates in such circumstances would amount to permitting them to benefit from an offence they had committed.

Haruna also indicated that the commission expected to make a definite pronouncement on the implications of the Supreme Court judgment by the following Tuesday.

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