Sorrow envelopes King’s College Lagos as student dies from diphtheria outbreak
A young student from King’s College Lagos (KCL) has sadly passed away because of a diphtheria outbreak at the school. This happened last week, and it has everyone worried.
On Monday, March 10, Peter Oluwaleye, the leader of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), told PREMIUM TIMES that a Junior Secondary School (JSS) student died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He didn’t share the student’s name but sent big hugs to the family, saying, “May his gentle soul rest in peace. Our sincere condolences to the family and the King’s College community.”
In a note written on Sunday, March 9, Mr. Oluwaleye said, “The issue of Diphtheria disease in the College has actually blown out of proportion in some platforms, but the reality is far from the panic.” He explained that even though everyone—the family, school leaders, PTA, and hospital staff—tried super hard, they couldn’t save the student. Right now, four other kids might have diphtheria too, and they’re waiting for test results at LUTH.
Worried Parents Speak Up
Before this sad news, parents were already nervous because lots of students were showing signs of this germy sickness. They said the school’s messy bathrooms and dirty spaces might be why it’s spreading. They’re asking the government to fix up the school with better water, cleaner spots, nicer teachers, and better learning stuff!
Back in 2023, parents got scared when some new JSS1 kids got blisters and fevers. They thought it was from bad water, but the school and PTA said, “Nope, our water’s fine and clean!”
Fighting the Germs
Mr. Oluwaleye promised parents that the school’s doing everything to stop the sickness. They’ve given medicine to kids who might be sick, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) even dropped off extra medicine for 100 students! Everyone’s wearing nose masks now, and there’s a special spot in the school to keep sick kids away from others.
On Monday, March 10, WHO helpers came to talk to all the students about how to stay safe from diphtheria. The school also put up handwashing stations with squirty soap everywhere! Because of all this, the school changed its schedule—exams start on Thursday, March 13, at the main campus and Friday, March 14, at the annexe, wrapping up next week.
Mr. Oluwaleye told parents, “Don’t freak out! We’re working with health experts to fix this!” He asked everyone to pray and stay hopeful. But when we asked a school worker from the JSS section about it, they said, “Sorry, I can’t talk about that—I’m a civil servant!”
What’s Diphtheria Anyway?
Diphtheria is a sneaky germ that messes with your breathing and spreads when you cough, sneeze, or touch someone who’s sick. If you don’t get help fast, it can be really dangerous.
Nigeria’s been fighting diphtheria for a while now. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says that from way back in 2022 until Monday, March 10, 2025, there were 1,280 deaths and 41,978 possible cases across 350 places in 37 states. Out of those, 25,298 were real cases—that’s a lot of sick kids and grown-ups!
