The Lagos State Government on Tuesday rolled out an emergency vaccination exercise for diphtheria exercise for students and staff of the King’s College Annexe, Victoria Island to immediately curb the spread of the highly contagious disease.
Meanwhile, top state government officials and the World Health Organisation, WHO, on Tuesday visited and inspected the school to assess the situation and oversee the vaccination campaign.
Among top government officials who visited the school include the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, among others.
Also, the delegation, including the Permanent Secretary, Lagos Health District III, Dr. Monsurat Adeleke, and the Director, Epidemiology, Biosecurity, and Global Health, Dr. Ismail Abdus-Salam, inspected key facilities such as the school’s kitchen, dining hall, dormitories, classrooms, sickbay, sanitary areas, and waste disposal units.
The inspection aimed to identify potential risk factors and reinforce preventive measures to halt the disease’s spread.
The swift intervention, led by the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Board, underscores the government’s commitment to preventing further infections.
Addressing the students, the state commissioner for health, Prof. Akin Abayomi emphasised the importance of personal and environmental hygiene, urging them to adopt proper handwashing habits and report any symptoms of diphtheria promptly.
Abayomi reassured parents that the government is actively managing the situation and discouraged them from withdrawing their children from school, as this could further complicate containment efforts.
He explained that the vaccination campaign is targeting all students with parental consent, as well as school staff, to create a protective ring against the disease.
