No Confirmed Diphtheria Case – Oyo Govt Dismisses Contrary Claims

The Oyo State Government has dismissed claims that diphtheria is affecting several local government areas in the state, insisting that no case of the disease has been confirmed.

The government, however, said surveillance and response measures had been activated to manage suspected cases and prevent a possible outbreak.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said the claims by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) were inconsistent with official surveillance data.

The organisation had reportedly listed 16 local government areas as affected by diphtheria.
But the government, citing the Ministry of Health’s Diphtheria Outbreak Surveillance Update for Epidemiological Week 40, 2026, said suspected cases had been recorded in only 10 local government areas, with none confirmed.

According to the statement, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said the surveillance findings did not support the claims being circulated.

The government urged the public to distinguish between suspected and confirmed cases, noting that the absence of confirmed cases did not mean the state had abandoned preparedness measures.

Ajetunmobi said the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre had procured antibiotics and requested buffer stocks of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) to strengthen the state’s response capacity.

She added that rapid response teams had been activated to manage suspected cases in line with the 7-1-7 framework.

The statement further disclosed that suspected cases had been isolated and treated at the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, with diphtheria antitoxin and appropriate antibiotics.

On childhood immunisation, the government also rejected SSACO’s claim that Oyo ranked last among South-West states in coverage.

The campaign organisation had cited figures purportedly showing an increase in the state’s coverage from 51.3 per cent in the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey to 55 per cent in the 2025-2026 survey.

However, the government said verified data from the 2025-2026 Nigeria Mini Demographic and Health Survey showed that Oyo’s basic antigen coverage was at the South-West average, while its national schedule coverage exceeded the regional average.

It added that full national schedule coverage among children aged 24 to 35 months was above the South-West average.

The government also defended its participation in the Immunization Plus component of the IMPACT Project, describing attempts to portray the initiative as evidence of failure as misleading.

It said the project’s funding covered multiple components and should not be assessed against a single immunisation indicator.

On calls for the publication of IMPACT reports, the government said financial and implementation reporting followed established audit and disclosure procedures, adding that the Ministry of Health welcomed scrutiny through appropriate channels.

The statement urged political organisations to exercise caution when commenting on public health matters, stressing the importance of accurate information in preventing unnecessary public anxiety.

The government reiterated its commitment to responding to suspected cases and protecting children through vaccination.