Diarrhea outbreak hits Kaduna Girls’ School, 81 students affected

A diarrhea outbreak has struck the Government Girls Senior and Junior Secondary School in Kawo, Kaduna State, leaving 81 students ill and 15 hospitalized, according to health authorities.

The Kaduna State Ministry of Health confirmed the incident on Friday, following an urgent investigation by the State Rapid Response Team, led by Dr. Jeremiah Diako, the State Epidemiologist.

According to preliminary findings, the affected students are mostly aged between 16 and 17 years, raising concerns about possible contamination sources within the school environment.

Diako said the students were promptly moved to the General Hospital in Kawo for medical attention.

“All hospitalised students have since been discharged,” he said.

In a bid to forestall future occurrences, the health ministry has outlined several key actions.

“These include strengthening disease reporting mechanisms, establishing school-based surveillance systems, standardising case referral procedures, providing food safety and waste management training, and improving local outbreak preparedness,” the ministry stated.

Officials stressed the importance of swiftly putting these preventive measures in place to safeguard student health and reduce the risk of similar outbreaks in the future.