The FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES) has dismissed a viral social media claim linking an alleged diphtheria case in Abuja to sliced watermelon, saying field verification found no evidence to support it.
The Mandate Secretary, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, said in a statement yesterday by her media aide, Bola Ajao, that a multidisciplinary Rapid Response Team from the FCT Public Health Department and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) visited the location described in the post on September 28. The claim was attributed to Ivan Eagle Lawson.
She said the team could not confirm the identity of the person in the photograph, the alleged address or the reported case. The address was inconsistent with the estate’s road designations, adding that estate management could not identify a matching resident and knew of no such incident.
‘Checks of the FCT diphtheria line list and records at the National Reference Laboratory in Gaduwa did not identify a corresponding record,’ Fasawe said.
She added that the investigation did not establish that watermelon caused the alleged illness. She stressed that the findings applied only to the online claim, and that the FCT’s diphtheria response was in place.
Fasawe said diphtheria is a serious vaccine-preventable bacterial infection, usually caused by toxin-producing Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and spreads mainly through respiratory droplets and contact with infected secretions or skin lesions.
Most cases in the current outbreak, she said, were among children aged five to nine, many of them unvaccinated.
She urged parents to ensure children receive all age-appropriate vaccines, including the three primary doses of the pentavalent vaccine under routine immunisation. Children who missed doses, or whose vaccination history is uncertain, should be taken to the nearest primary healthcare facility for assessment and catch-up vaccination.
Residents with fever, sore throat, neck swelling or difficulty swallowing should seek medical attention promptly, she said, stressing that difficulty breathing required urgent care.
Health workers should immediately notify the Area Council Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer of suspected cases.
Fasawe urged residents not to forward the unverified post, including the names, photographs and address, saying a photograph cannot confirm a diagnosis. She called for respect for privacy and warned against stigmatising residents, communities or food vendors. Anyone with information that could help verify similar claims should share it privately with the FCT Public Health Department or AMAC health authorities, she appealed, saying surveillance, public awareness and community engagement were continuing.
She also cautioned residents against circulating unverified claims of Ebola outbreaks, urging them to rely on updates from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), whose toll-free line is 6232.