Two dead as Bauchi confirms outbreak of diphtheria in six LGAs

The Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHCDA) has confirmed an outbreak of diphtheria in six local government areas of the state.

Rilwanu Mohammed, executive chairman of the agency, spoke at a press conference in Bauchi on Wednesday.

He said the agency collected 58 samples of suspected cases from January to date.

“Two of the three confirmed diphtheria cases died in Jama’are local government area of the state,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“These cases are mostly among nomads and children with zero immunisation dose.

“The disease is among children between ages eight months to four years, and there is a case of a seven-year-old child.

“The agency had closed schools in Jama’are because of the reported suspected cases of the disease in a school.”

Mohammed said the agency will scale up the immunisation of pupils in schools across the affected communities.

The chairman added that there was a confirmed outbreak of yellow fever in the state following the report of 248 suspected cases in Dambam, Ganjuwa and Jama’are LGAs.

“We have nine presumptive positive cases of which five had been confirmed,” he said.

“Samples from the states are sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja where they are taken to Dakar in Senegal, that is the problem we are facing”.