The Oyo State Government has rejected claims by the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that a diphtheria outbreak has affected 16 local government areas in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, described the allegation as false in a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, in Ibadan on Tuesday.
Ajetunmobi said the state had no confirmed diphtheria cases, despite reports circulated by the campaign organisation suggesting that children had been affected and deaths recorded.
“By peddling exaggerated outbreak claims and distorting immunisation data, SSACO has once again demonstrated a troubling willingness to spin falsehoods for political advantage, even at the expense of public safety,” she said.
SSACO had named 16 local government areas it claimed were affected, including Ibadan North, Akinyele, Egbeda, Oyo West, Saki, Oluyole and Ogbomosho North.
However, the health commissioner said the Ministry of Health’s surveillance update for Epidemiological Week 40 of 2026 recorded suspected cases in only 10 local government areas, with none confirmed.
The government also said it had put measures in place to respond to suspected cases. These include securing antibiotic supplies, requesting additional diphtheria antitoxin and activating rapid response teams.
Suspected patients have been isolated and treated at the Infectious Disease Centre in Olodo using diphtheria antitoxin and appropriate antibiotics.
The government also disputed SSACO’s claim that Oyo ranked last in childhood immunisation coverage across the South-West. It said verified data from the 2025–2026 National Demographic and Health Survey placed the state’s basic antigen coverage at the regional average, while coverage under the national immunisation schedule exceeded the zonal average.
Ajetunmobi further defended the state’s participation in the IMPACT Project, describing allegations of failure and financial mismanagement as misleading. She said the funds had been used for their intended purposes and that financial reporting followed established audit and disclosure procedures.
The commissioner pledged that the government would continue responding to suspected cases, protecting children through vaccination and providing evidence-based public health information.
