Senate Raises Alarm Over Diphtheria, Ask FG To Halt Spread

• The Senate urged the Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to stop the spread of diphtheria in Nigeria
• It also urged the federal government to increase funding for all institutions involved in vaccine production and distribution
• The Senate directed relevant agencies to conduct a nationwide vaccination campaign to combat Diphtheria in the country

The Senate urged the Ministry of Health, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Wednesday to stop the spread of diphtheria in Nigeria.

It also urged the federal government to increase funding for all institutions involved in vaccine production and distribution in order to combat the prevalence of communicable diseases in Nigeria.

It directed relevant agencies to conduct a nationwide vaccination campaign to combat Diphtheria in the country.

Senator Sunday Katung (Kaduna South) proposed the resolution after claiming that the spread of diphtheria in Kaduna had resulted in several deaths in the state and its environs.

He stated that the Kaduna State Government had confirmed that the death toll from the state’s diphtheria outbreak had risen to 17, with 68 suspected cases identified as of Sunday.

The Senate urged all relevant health agencies in the country to work with health ministries in Kaduna and neighboring states to increase contact tracing in order to stop the spread of diphtheria.

Court Rejects DSS Suit To Prolong Emefiele’s Detention

A Department of State Services, DSS appeal seeking an order extending the detention of the troubled Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was rejected by a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja.

According to Channels Television, the DSS legal team secretly submitted the request on Wednesday in light of allegedly fresh information.

Justice Hamza Muazu rejected the application, citing an abuse of the legal system and a lack of jurisdiction.

The DSS made the request after the agency had previously detained Emefiele outside of the Lagos courthouse after the judge had mandated that he be held in a correctional facility while his bail conditions were being followed.