Diphtheria: Confirmed Cases Hit 9,478 As Kano Records Highest Number Of Cases (See Affected States)
Nigeria has recorded a total of 9,478 confirmed cases of Diphtheria.
The Director General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, who made this known in Abuja during the weekly diphtheria surveillance update in Nigeria, said this is out of the over 15,000 suspected cases of the infections across 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Dr Adetifa explained that 71.5 % of the confirmed cases were between the ages of one and 14 years, with infants accounting for less than 1% of the cases.
Giving the breakdown by states, he said Kano still remained the epicentre of the disease with 7,747 cases.
‘’Data 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-8, Zamfara-7, FCT-7, Gombe-5, Sokoto–4, Osun- 3 and Niger state recorded two diphtheria cases.
“Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Taraba recorded one case of diphtheria infection each, “Dr Adetifa added.
Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, told newsmen that 1,692,762 children between six months to four years of age have been administered the Pentavalent vaccine—a vital safeguard against this disease.
He explained that to further strengthen the country from the disease amongst children and teenagers, an additional 3,166,419 children aged four to 14 years had received the TD vaccines.
“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.”
Dr Shuaib maintained that Kano state has exemplified its commitment to this cause by ensuring that 1,111,310 children were administered with Td vaccines and 544,737 others with Pentavalent vaccines in phase 2.
‘’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, ” Dr Shuaib added.
The WHO country representative, Walter Mulombo, and that of UNICEF’s Chief of Health, Edwardo Celades commended health workers for their resilience in ensuring that children were protected from diseases.
