Kano, Yobe Bauchi lead as 20 states record 9,478 diphtheria cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 9,478 cases of diphtheria have been recorded in the country.

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection caused by the corynebacterium species that affect the nose, throat, and sometimes, skin of an individual.

Some symptoms of diphtheria include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes, neck swelling, and difficulty in breathing.

To curtail the infection, the Nigeria childhood immunisation schedule recommends three (3) doses of pentavalent vaccine (diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine) for children in the 6th, 10th and 14th weeks of life.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Ifedayo Adetifa, director-general of the NCDC, said Kano recorded the highest number of cases followed by Yobe and then Bauchi.

“As of today, the 19th of October 2023, there have been 15,060 reported suspected cases
out of which 9,478 were confirmed cases from 137 LGAs in 20 States including the FCT,” he said.

“Breakdown by states is as follows: Kano – 7,747 (81.7%), Yobe – 841, Bauchi – 369, Katsina – 275, Borno – 164, Jigawa -24, Kaduna – 18, Lagos – 8, Zamfara – 7, FCT – 7, Lagos – 6, Gombe – 5, Sokoto – 4, Osun – 3, Niger – 2, Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Taraba – 1 each.”

He said of the 9,478 confirmed cases, 6,777 (71.5%) were aged one to 14 years.

Adetifa encouraged individuals with signs and symptoms suggestive of diphtheria to promptly present to a healthcare facility or designated diphtheria treatment centres.

“Healthcare workers are required to maintain a high index of suspicion and notify their LGA or state disease surveillance Officer (DSNO) their state ministry of health helpline, or the NCDC through our toll-free line (6232) should they suspect diphtheria in any patient,” he said.

“The most effective protection against diphtheria is vaccination with the pentavalent or TD vaccine. The federal government of Nigeria provides free, safe and effective vaccines at all primary healthcare centers nationwide.”

Also speaking at the briefing, Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said a total of 1,692,762 children, between six months and four years of age, have received the pentavalent vaccine since the outbreak.

He said 3,166,419 children aged four to 14 years have received the TD vaccines.

“The 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,” he said.