Diphteria outbreak hits Kano
The ancient city of Kano has been hit by an outbreak of diphtheria in its history.
The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) says that Kano State is responsible for 80% of diphtheria outbreaks in Nigeria.
Mr. Rahma Mohammed Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, disclosed this while addressing newsmen during a one-day workshop tagged “Media Orientation on Diphtheria Outbreak,” which was organised by UNICEF in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Information in Kano. Participants were drawn from various media organisations in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Katsina States.
Farah added that unvaccinated children account for about 60.8% of total suspected cases of diphtheria disease.
However, he said that UNICEF continued to support the government in its efforts to control diphtheria outbreaks by delivering 1.2 million vaccines to the Kano State Government last week.
Farah emphasised the importance of routine immunisation as well as the dangers related to the issue of zero doses. He added that the majority of suspected victims of diphtheria are children who did not receive a single dose of vaccination against children’s killer diseases, including diphtheria.
He said, “So far, the highest numbers of cases of diphtheria are reported from Kano State. For example, the diphtheria disease has spread to 39 out of the 44 local governments in Kano State.
“Since January 2023, Kano State has reported over 5,800 cumulative cases of diphtheria in the state. Although, there was a decline in the reported case in June, however, as of July these diphtheria cases have been on the rise. As of last week, over 400 suspected cases with 11 deaths have been reported in Kano State.”
The UNICEF Chief disclosed that the most affected local governments in the state included Ungogo with 2651 cases; Dala (989); Fagge (943); Gwale (714); Kumbotso (713); Nassarawa (538); Kano Municipal (506) and Tarauni (269).
According to him, UNICEF has done three rounds of vaccinations in the state between February and August this year. “So far, three rounds have been conducted, with 23,200 children vaccinated in round one, 277,796 children during the second round, and 29,500 children vaccinated during the third round.”
According to Dr. Muhammad Mahmud, Director General of Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, the diphtheria outbreak in the state this year is believed to have claimed the lives of about 520 children.
Mahmud said: “This year Kano reported about 8,700 suspected cases of diphtheria and 6,300 confirmed, with about 520 children suspected to have died of this illness.
“We tracked this on a daily and weekly basis. We believe the cases are much more than what we are getting, as we witness the increase of the cases from July.”
He added that out of the 44 local governments in the state, 39 local governments reported instances, and the cases grew worse among the eight urban local governments.
Mahmud added that UNICEF is working with the government and other partners to respond to the emergency in order to save the lives of the affected children. He defined diphtheria as a threat to child survival, health, and well-being of children.
Mr. Rajat Madhok, the Chief of Communication, Advocacy, and Partnership of UNICEF in Nigeria, has appealed to media organisations to create more awareness among the public on the dangers of the disease.
Madhok reaffirmed that UNICEF is ready to give all necessary support to the government and media in tackling the spread of the disease.
Participants were also trained on some of the symptoms of the disease, which include fever, weakness of the body, swollen glands, and sore throat among others.
