Parents of students at Kings College, Lagos (KCL), have raised serious concerns following a suspected diphtheria outbreak in the school, with reports of students being hospitalised.
Some parents and guardians fear the situation may be more severe than reported and are calling on the school authorities to provide a clear statement.
This is also as some parents are calling for a meeting of the Parent Teacher Association, PTA, of the school and have been bombarding the PTA social media platforms for a meeting for them to be able to assess the situation.
One of the concerned parents, who gave her name simply as Nkechi, said the assurances being given by the leadership of the PTA might not be enough, as parents want an on-the-spot assessment of the situation done.
“Last December, a student also died and many people suspected that it was due to the same disease. The rot started long ago and the current management inherited it. But that is not to say it must continue.
“The annex on Victoria Island is for the Junior Secondary School classes, while the Senior Secondary School is on Lagos Island.
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“Without being a medical personnel one can say the incident was due to the unsanitary condition of the classrooms and hostels. They are simply overcrowded.
“We gathered that 34 students showed symptoms of the disease with 14 being serious cases. We hope the situation will be brought under control as soon as possible,” she stated.
Nkechi, a former member of the executive of the PTA, suggested that stringent health measures be put in place in the school and that more facilities be provided to prevent overcrowding in the classrooms and hostels.
Reacting to the development, the Lagos State government has started a mass vaccination of the students in the two campuses of the school on Victoria Island and Lagos Island.
Reports indicate that students have been mandated to wear face masks, and several have been treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for suspected diphtheria symptoms.
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