Plateau shuts schools over diphtheria outbreak concerns

The Plateau State government has ordered the immediate closure of all schools due to a suspected diphtheria outbreak. According to Daily Trust, the closure affects all public and private primary and secondary schools and is intended to prevent students from being infected. The outbreak has been reported in Jos North, Wase, Jos South, and Bassa Local Government Areas.

The government has confirmed that 23 people have died from the disease, according to Daily Trust. Nine patients are currently hospitalized at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and the Plateau Specialist Hospital. The closure of schools took effect from Monday, September 7, and will remain in force until further notice.

All schools that had already resumed are also required to shut down. The government has urged proprietors, administrators, teachers, parents, and guardians to ensure that pupils and students stay at home until further notice.

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.