- 171 high-risk local government areas (LGAs) in 14 states face diphtheria outbreak, with active cases in 25 LGAs.
- Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with partners, initiates comprehensive response plan for early detection and containment.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, 171 local government areas (LGAs) in 14 states are at high risk of the diphtheria outbreak spreading further.
According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Olufunsho Adebiyi, the 171 LGAs include all 144 LGAs in Kano, Katsina, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Yobe, Kaduna, and Bauchi states.
Other states with contiguous LGAs include Gombe, Jigawa, Borno, Nasarawa, Plateau, Zamfara, and Lagos and Osun.
He said real-time surveillance data showed active diphtheria outbreaks in 25 local government areas (LGAs) in Bauchi, Katsina, Yobe, and Kaduna states.
He stated that the Federal Ministry of Health was mobilising all necessary resources to respond to the outbreak in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), states, and partners.
He said;
A comprehensive response plan has been activated to ensure early detection, containment of cases, as well as preventing further transmission through a multi-phased response strategy.
According to the permanent secretary, the partnership aims to intensify mass vaccination of identified at-risk populations in two phases to combat the ongoing diphtheria outbreak.
Diphtheria affects people of all ages, particularly children who have not been immunised against the disease.
This disease primarily affects the respiratory system of affected people and is characterised by symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, neck swelling, and difficulty breathing.
If untreated, these signs and symptoms can lead to death, and the risk of death is higher in partially vaccinated/unvaccinated children.