FCTA INTENSIFIES DIPHTHERIA RESPONSE, ENGAGES GWAGWALADA TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION
By: Khadijat Kawunda
The FCT Administration has intensified its efforts to prevent and control diphtheria through increased community sensitisation, health education and engagement with traditional institutions across the Territory.
The Director, FCT Public Health Department, Dr. Theresa Nwachukwu, on Thursday, 17 September 2026, led a team from the Department on an advocacy and sensitisation visit to the palace of the Agụma of Gwagwalada, HRH Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, where stakeholders discussed measures to strengthen community awareness, surveillance, vaccination and early response to suspected diphtheria cases.
Dr. Nwachukwu stated that the advocacy and sensitisation visit was undertaken in line with the strategic direction and strong commitment of the Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, to strengthening the FCT Administration’s response to diphtheria and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
She emphasised that, under the leadership of the Mandate Secretary, the Health Services and Environment Secretariat continues to drive coordinated efforts in vaccination, disease surveillance, health promotion, community engagement, early detection and prompt response to suspected cases, to protect residents across the Federal Capital Territory.
She highlighted the important role of traditional institutions in strengthening disease prevention efforts, noting that traditional rulers and community leaders remain critical partners in mobilising residents, promoting vaccination and encouraging the early reporting and referral of suspected cases.
The Director stressed that diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease and urged parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children receive their routine immunisations, particularly zero-dose and under-immunised children who may be at increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.
The engagement brought together medical doctors from the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, various district heads, the Local Immunisation Officer (LIO), the Area Council Health Educator and members of the Health Promotion and Education team of the FCT Public Health Department.
Stakeholders discussed the need to strengthen community-based surveillance, vaccination uptake, early detection, prompt reporting and referral, as well as sustained community engagement to support the prevention and control of diphtheria within Gwagwalada and the wider FCT.
The traditional institution was encouraged to continue supporting health authorities by mobilising communities, promoting routine immunisation and ensuring that suspected cases are promptly reported to the appropriate health authorities for necessary action.
Beyond community engagement, the Health Promotion and Education team of the FCT Public Health Department continues to sensitise residents across the Territory through community outreach in public spaces, including Garki and Wuse Markets, where members of the public are educated on diphtheria prevention, signs and symptoms, vaccination, early health-seeking behaviour, and prompt reporting of suspected cases, while also leveraging various social media platforms to disseminate timely and accurate information to the wider FCT populace.
The engagement forms part of the FCT Administration’s ongoing community advocacy and health promotion strategy aimed at strengthening collaboration with traditional institutions and ensuring that accurate information and preventive health services reach residents at the community level.
