Plateau orders closure of schools over diphtheria outbreak

The Plateau State government has ordered the immediate closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools due to a suspected diphtheria outbreak. According to Daily Trust, the decision was made to prevent students from being infected by the disease.

The closure, which took effect from Monday, September 7, 2026, will remain in force until further notice, as reported by Daily Trust. The order was given by Governor Caleb Manaseh Mutfwang following reports of suspected diphtheria cases in Jos North, Wase, Jos South, and Bassa Local Government Areas.

As per Daily Trust, about 23 persons have died from the disease, with nine patients hospitalised at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau Specialist Hospital.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, BusinessDay Nigeria, Daily Trust, Premium Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.