Diphtheria Outbreak Claims Lives In Imo, Schools Shut

SOME persons have reportedly died following a sudden outbreak of Diphtheria in Mbutu Community of Aboh Mbaise Local Council of Imo State.
The council Chairman, Iheukwumere Alaribe, in a statement confirming the development, said the outbreak claimed the lives of several children within one week.
As part of efforts to contain the spread, Alaribe ordered the immediate closure of all nursery, primary and secondary schools in Mbutu, saying health officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the state Ministry of Health’s Department of Disease Prevention and Control and the council’s Health Authority have launched a coordinated response.
He added that an isolation centre had been set up at the Mbutu Health Centre, with health personnel deployed to quarantine affected or at-risk children.
Alaribe urged parents in the community to vaccinate their children immediately, saying immunisation remained the most effective safeguard against Diphtheria and related infections.
He charged residents to remain calm, as the state government had promised regular updates, while soliciting public cooperation as efforts continue to bring the situation under control.