The death toll from the ongoing diphtheria outbreak in Plateau State has risen to 31, with 469 suspected cases recorded across 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs), health authorities have disclosed.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Ba’amlong, gave the figures during a briefing on the government’s response to the outbreak in Jos.
According to the commissioner, three of the 469 suspected cases have been laboratory-confirmed, while 17 patients were receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau Specialist Hospital, where isolation facilities have been established.
The affected LGAs are Jos North, Jos South, Wase, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Kanam, Pankshin, Shendam, Bassa and Mikang.
Jos North has recorded the highest number of suspected cases, with 370 cases, followed by Wase with 29 and Jos South with 22. Barkin Ladi and Mangu recorded 16 cases each, while Pankshin recorded five, Kanam and Mikang four each, Shendam two and Bassa one.
Ba’amlong said the state began recording sporadic cases earlier in 2026, but the situation became a major public health concern in August as suspected cases increased.
To contain the spread, the state government has intensified active case searches, contact tracing, vaccination, surveillance and community sensitisation. It has also activated an Incident Management System to coordinate the response.
More than 160,000 children have reportedly been vaccinated, while the state has requested additional diphtheria vaccines from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
The commissioner urged parents to ensure that children receive and complete their routine immunisation, noting that some affected children were either unvaccinated or had not completed their vaccination schedules.
Diphtheria is a highly infectious bacterial disease that can spread through respiratory droplets and close contact, particularly among people who are not adequately vaccinated.
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