Abia State Government says the state, as at today, has recorded no case of diphtheria, and no case of any public health concern
Briefing Newsmen at the Government House Umuahia on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, revealed that the State Public Health Department had instituted an outbreak prevention and preparedness plan.
According to him, the focus of the advisory of the State Ministry of Health regarding diphtheria for this week is to strengthen preparedness and preventive measures against the disease, following reports of outbreaks in some parts of the country.
Prince Kanu further announced that the State Government will commence the statewide distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets within the first and second week of October, 2026, as part of measures to strengthen malaria prevention and control in the state.
The Commissioner said the mosquito nets had started arriving in the state, adding that that consultations were ongoing with relevant stakeholders across the 17 Local Government Areas to ensure a seamless and effective distribution of the treated nets.
According to him, the State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme, would commence larvae source management activities before the end of September, with focus on Isuikwuato and Aba South Local Government Areas.
Prince Kanu explained that the intervention is based on available data indicating that the two Local Government Areas have significant mosquito larvae breeding activities, hence the need to eliminate the larvae at source.
The Commissioner used the forum to also announce that preparations have commenced for the fourth cohort of the Abia TechRise programme, revealing that the first three cohorts have produced a total of 2,210 graduates, out of which 88 outstanding graduates have secured automatic employment into the Abia State Civil Service.
On agriculture, the Commissioner said the Local Government Agricultural Innovation Programme was progressing well across the 17 Local Government Areas, noting that participating local governments had recently received about 2,040 birds as part of the ongoing Poultry Innovation Programme.
He added that other agricultural value chains under the programme were being monitored for productivity and sustainability, while several local governments had commenced harvesting caballero peppers from their farms.
