On February 22, 2025, a 12-year-old student at King’s College presented with a sore throat and fever.
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He was promptly referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where he received appropriate antibiotics and a full dose of diphtheria antitoxin. . Despite these interventions, the student developed myocarditis, a severe complication of diphtheria affecting the heart and he tragically passed away on March 6, 2025.
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It primarily affects the respiratory system, causing sore throat, fever, and swollen glands in the neck.
One of its most dangerous symptoms is the formation of a thick, grayish membrane in the throat, which can obstruct breathing. If left untreated, diphtheria can lead to heart problems, nerve damage, and even death.
How Diphtheria Spreads
Diphtheria is highly contagious and spreads mainly through:
- Respiratory droplets: When an infected person coughs or sneezes, bacteria spread through the air and can infect others nearby.
- Direct contact: Touching open sores or ulcers of an infected person can lead to transmission.
- Contaminated objects: The bacteria can survive on surfaces like toys, cups, and utensils, allowing indirect spread.
Who’s At Risk Of Developing Diphtheria?
Anyone who isn’t protected by the vaccine and comes in close contact with an infected person can develop diphtheria. Adults can also get diphtheria and the risk factors include not being vaccinated, living in crowded or unsanitary conditions, being undernourished, and being over 60 years old.
- Throat pain.
- Weakness or fatigue.
- Fever.
- Swollen neck glands.
- Problems breathing due to tissues obstructing your nose and throat.
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
- Nerve, kidney or heart problems (if the bacteria enters your bloodstream).
An infected person typically shows signs of diphtheria around two to five days after exposure.
Health authorities are battling fresh diphtheria cases in Plateau as Nigeria continues to face a wider outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease.
why is diphtheria, a preventable disease, still killing Nigerians?
Plateau records 23 suspected diphtheria deaths in just two weeks, with 143 suspected cases and nine patients currently receiving treatment in Jos.
Kano’s outbreak shows the scale of Nigeria’s wider crisis, with 32,633 confirmed cases and 1,744 deaths recorded since the outbreak began.
Low vaccination coverage, delayed treatment and shortages of diphtheria antitoxin are fuelling the risk, making the latest Plateau outbreak a serious warning for other states.
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Twenty-three people have died from suspected diphtheria in Plateau State in just two weeks, with 143 suspected cases recorded.
The outbreak is concentrated in Jos North Local Government Area, and officials are working to prevent it from spreading to neighbouring areas.
Kano has also recorded more than 32,000 confirmed cases and over 1,700 deaths since the outbreak began.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, so why does it continue to kill Nigerians yearly?
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This is the bigger story behind Nigeria’s diphtheria outbreaks, from vaccination gaps and late hospital presentation to shortages of antitoxin and diagnostic supplies.
The disease Nigeria should be able to prevent
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It commonly affects the nose and throat and can spread through respiratory droplets and close contact.
The bacteria can produce a toxin that damages body tissues and, in severe cases, can cause breathing difficulties, heart problems and nerve damage.
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But the major reason the current outbreaks are so concerning is that diphtheria is vaccine-preventable.
Nigeria’s resurgence therefore points not only to the disease itself but also to gaps in vaccination and the health system’s ability to detect and treat cases quickly.
WHO reported that between January 1 and November 2, 2025, Nigeria recorded 12,150 suspected diphtheria cases, 8,587 confirmed cases and 884 deaths across 30 states. At the time, Nigeria had the highest reported number of diphtheria cases in the WHO African Region.
By July 2026, figures attributed to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed 65,759 suspected cases and 2,229 deaths since the outbreak began in 2022.
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