No school on Monday? If you live in Plateau, that's exactly what the government is saying - and it's all to stop a nasty, old disease making a comeback.

The Plateau State Government has ordered all primary and secondary schools - both public and private - to close temporarily from Monday, 8th September, until further notice.

The directive was announced on Saturday by the Commissioner for Information, Mrs Joyce Ramnap.

And yes, it affects everyone. Even schools that already resumed for the new term have been told to shut their gates and send pupils home.

“Accordingly, schools that have already resumed academic activities are also directed to close from Monday, and remain closed until further notice,” Ramnap said.

Parents, teachers, and school owners have been urged to comply fully and keep children safely at home while health workers do their work.

So, what's behind the closure?

According to the state, suspected cases of diphtheria have popped up in Jos North, Wase, Jos South and Bassa Local Government Areas in recent weeks. The Ministry of Health has already activated surveillance and response teams in those communities.

Wait, what's diphtheria again?

It is not new. Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It spreads through close contact and coughs and sneezes - which is why crowded places like classrooms are high-risk.

It causes a thick covering in the throat, difficulty breathing, swollen neck, and in severe cases, damage to the heart and nerves. The scary part? It is vaccine-preventable. A full course of the pentavalent vaccine should protect children, but many are missing out.

The bigger picture in Nigeria.

This Plateau scare is part of a much bigger national outbreak that has been rumbling since late 2022.

To put it in context, Nigeria has become the epicentre of diphtheria in Africa. According to NCDC data, between 2022 and early 2025, Nigeria recorded 41,336 suspected cases with 24,864 confirmed and 1,264 deaths.

The case fatality rate has hovered around 5.1%, and worryingly, only 20% of confirmed cases were fully vaccinated.

Kano has carried the heaviest burden with 17,770 confirmed cases, followed by Bauchi, Yobe, Katsina and Borno. Plateau had previously recorded 31 confirmed cases in that national tally.

And it hasn't stopped in 2025. The NCDC noted that from January 1 to November 2, 2025 alone, 12,150 suspected cases were reported with 8,587 confirmed and 884 deaths.

Historically, diphtheria was almost wiped out in many countries after mass childhood immunisation started in the 1940s and 50s. Nigeria introduced the DPT vaccine decades ago, but coverage gaps, misinformation and hard-to-reach communities have allowed it to resurface in a big way since 2023.

What happens next?

The state government says the closure is to give room for contact tracing, a vaccination mop-up and decontamination in the affected areas.

The NCDC's usual advice still stands: get vaccinated, report early symptoms like sore throat and fever, isolate suspected cases quickly, and intensify public sensitisation.

For parents in Plateau, the message is simple for now: keep the kids at home, watch out for symptoms, and make sure their immunisation is up to date.

We will keep you posted as the Ministry of Health gives more updates.

This report was put together from the official statement issued by the Plateau State Government via cbinews.tv.

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