The highland government closed schools due to the spread of diphtheria

The Plateau State Government has directed the immediate closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools across the state as a precautionary measure against suspected cases of diphtheria.

The government gave the order on Saturday in a statement issued by Information Commissioner Joyce Ramnap.

According to Ramnap, the closure takes effect from Monday (tomorrow) and will remain in effect “until further notice.”

“The directive… is to take preventive measures against the suspected outbreak of diphtheria infection in some parts of the state, especially Jos North, Wase, Jos South & Bassa Local Government Areas,” he said.

The commissioner added that the closure applies to all schools, including schools that have reopened in the new period.

Therefore, schools that have resumed academic activities are also directed to close from Monday, and remain closed until further notice, he added.

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Parents, teachers and school owners are urged to fully comply with the directive.

“Furthermore, school owners, administrators, teachers, parents and guardians must fully comply with the said directive and ensure that pupils and students remain safe at home throughout the period as part of measures to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils, pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff during the period under review,” the commissioner said.

The closure comes amid growing concerns over a suspected diphtheria outbreak in the state.

Health authorities in Plateau confirmed that suspected cases had been reported in Jos North, Wase, Jos South and Bassa Local Government Areas in recent weeks, prompting the Ministry of Health to activate surveillance and response teams in the affected communities.

Diphtheria spreads through direct contact or respiratory droplets and is common in crowded places such as schools.

The Nigerian Center for Disease Control has, in the past, advised states to intensify vaccination, community sensitization and early case detection to prevent wider transmission.

In response, the state government said the school closures were intended to limit exposure to children while health officials conducted contact tracing, vaccination cleaning and decontamination of identified areas.