Diphtheria
Kano epicenter of diphtheria outbreak – NCDC, as over 15, 000 new cases recorded
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has named Kano State as the epicenter of the fast spreading diphtheria disease in the country.
This is also as the agency said it has confirmed a total of 15, 060 cases of the throat disease as at October 19, this year, adding further 9,478 of the reports emerged from 137 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across 20 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, Thursday, Director General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said 71.5 per cent of the confirmed cases were between the ages of one and 14 years, with infants accounting for less than one per cent of the cases.
Adetifa said data also shows that Kano, the epicentre of the infection has the highest number of cases at 7,747, followed by Yobe with 841 cases.
“Bauchi state recorded 369 infections, followed by Katsina-275, Borno – 164, Jigawa -24, Kaduna-18, Lagos-eight, Zamfara-seven, FCT-seven, Gombe-five, Sokoto–four, Osun- three and Niger state recorded two diphtheria cases. Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Taraba recorded one case of diphtheria infection each,” Adetifa added.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib said a total of 1,692,762 children, between six months to four years of age, have been diligently administered the Pentavalent vaccine—a vital safeguard against this disease.
Shuaib said in addition, an impressive 3,166,419 children aged four to 14 years have received the TD vaccines, further strengthening the country from the disease among children and teenagers.
“Phase two, round one of our outbreak response using diphtheria vaccines commenced on 23 September and has unfolded in seven states, encompassing 56 LGAs that are profoundly impacted by the ongoing outbreak. The reach and impact of this concerted effort have been nothing short of remarkable.”
Shuaib said Kano state has exemplified its commitment to this cause, ensuring the immunisation of 1,111,310 children with Td vaccines and 544,737 children with Pentavalent vaccines in phase 2.
He said Katsina, another hotspot in this outbreak, has vaccinated 403,252 children with Td vaccines and 255,075 children with Pentavalent vaccines.
“Similarly, Kaduna, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, and Yobe have not faltered in their efforts either, collectively securing the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of children through dedicated vaccination campaigns, ” he added.
