Taraba Health Officials Disagree on Diphtheria Case Numbers

In Taraba, a diphtheria outbreak has led to confusion due to conflicting reports from health officials. Dr Udi Aketemo, the State Epidemiologist and Coordinator of Health Security, stated that there have been 15 confirmed cases and one death, with the first case recorded in Bali Local Government Area.

In contrast, Dr Bordiya Buma, the Commissioner for Health, claimed that only one case has been confirmed, asserting that the patient is stable and that there have been no fatalities. Buma emphasized, “It’s only one case, I don’t know of other cases, and the patient is in stable condition.

The patient is not dead, and we have not recorded a fatality case of the disease.” The discrepancies between the two officials have raised significant questions regarding the actual scale of the diphtheria outbreak and the number of fatalities in Taraba.