A Junior Secondary College (JSS) scholar at King’s School Lagos (KCL) has died following a Diphtheria outbreak within the faculty.
The Chairperson of the Mother and father-Lecturers Affiliation (PTA), Peter Oluwaleye, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday morning that the coed, whose title he didn’t disclose, handed away final week on the Lagos College Educating Hospital (LUTH).
In a press release dated 9 March, Mr Oluwaleye expressed condolences to the household of the deceased and up to date dad and mom on efforts to comprise the illness’s unfold.
“The difficulty of Diphtheria illness within the School has truly blown out of proportion in some platforms, however the actuality is much from the panic,” he famous
“Regrettably, we misplaced one in all our college students on the LUTH final week, regardless of the mixed efforts of the household, school administration, PTA executives, and hospital workers. It’s extremely regretted. Could his mild soul relaxation in peace. Our honest condolences to the household and the King’s School neighborhood.”
Whereas the full variety of confirmed instances has not been disclosed, Mr Oluwaleye mentioned there are 4 suspected instances at present at LUTH, with check outcomes pending.
Mother and father’ considerations
Mother and father had earlier raised considerations over the suspected outbreak after stories emerged of a number of college students exhibiting signs of the bacterial an infection.
Article Web page with Monetary Help Promotion
They attributed the outbreak to poor sanitary circumstances within the faculty and criticised the administration for poorly dealing with the scenario.
The dad and mom urged the federal authorities to enhance infrastructure, particularly WASH services, instructing high quality, academics/ workers perspective, and academic requirements within the school and different faculties throughout the nation.
In the meantime, in 2023, an analogous well being scare at King’s School Lagos arose after some JSS1 college students reportedly developed blisters and fever, which oldsters suspected had been as a result of waterborne infections.
Nevertheless, the college administration and PTA dismissed claims of an outbreak, stating that the faculty’s water sources had been well-maintained and routinely handled.
Response Efforts
Mr Oluwaleye, in his assertion, acknowledged the coed’s loss of life and guaranteed dad and mom that measures had been taken to comprise the unfold of the illness.
He mentioned prophylactic remedy has been supplied for college students displaying signs, whereas representatives from the World Well being Organisation (WHO) have donated extra remedy for 100 sufferers.
He added that nostril masks had been distributed to all college students, and an isolation centre has been arrange inside the faculty premises for suspected instances.
An emergency meeting was held the place WHO representatives educated college students on Diphtheria prevention and signs.
The college has additionally applied WHO’s suggestion to determine handwashing stations all through the premises, with hand sanitisers supplied at every level.
He added that the tutorial calendar had been adjusted, with second-term examinations now set to start Thursday on the important campus and Friday on the annexe, concluding subsequent week.
The PTA chairman urged dad and mom to stay calm, assuring them that the scenario was underneath management and that the college was working carefully with well being authorities to handle the disaster.
He additionally referred to as for prayers and assist, expressing optimism that the outbreak would quickly be contained.
Nevertheless, an official of the college administration on the JSS part, who didn’t need to be named, mentioned they weren’t allowed to talk on such issues as civil servants.
Diphtheria in Nigeria
Diphtheria is a bacterial an infection that impacts the respiratory system and spreads by way of coughing, sneezing, or direct contact with an contaminated particular person. If untreated, it could actually result in extreme issues or loss of life.
READ ALSO: 14-year-old schoolgirl drowns in river amid water shortage in Niger State
The outbreak at King’s School Lagos comes amid Nigeria’s ongoing battle with diphtheria, as reported by the Nigeria Centre for Illness Management and Prevention (NCDC).
Between epidemiological week 19 of 2022 and week 6 of 2025, Nigeria recorded 1,280 deaths and 41,978 suspected diphtheria instances throughout 350 native authorities areas in 37 states.
Of those, 25,298 instances (60.3 per cent) had been confirmed, 7,769 (18.5 per cent) had been discarded, 3,561 (8.5 per cent) had been pending classification, and 5,350 (12.7 per cent) had been unclassified.
Help PREMIUM TIMES’ journalism of integrity and credibility
At Premium Instances, we firmly imagine within the significance of high-quality journalism. Recognizing that not everybody can afford expensive information subscriptions, we’re devoted to delivering meticulously researched, fact-checked information that continues to be freely accessible to all.
Whether or not you flip to Premium Instances for each day updates, in-depth investigations into urgent nationwide points, or entertaining trending tales, we worth your readership.
It’s important to acknowledge that information manufacturing incurs bills, and we take pleasure in by no means putting our tales behind a prohibitive paywall.
Would you contemplate supporting us with a modest contribution on a month-to-month foundation to assist keep our dedication to free, accessible information?
Make Contribution
TEXT AD: Name Willie – +2348098788999
