Adedokun Waliyu 
The federal government says 7,202 cases of diphtheria have been confirmed across Nigeria as of September 24.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection caused by the corynebacterium species. It affects 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.
The ministry of health, in a joint statement on Monday with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said the cases were recorded from 105 LGAs in 18 states, including the FCT.
It added that 6,185 of the confirmed cases were recorded in Kano.
Other states with cases are Yobe (640), Katsina (213), Borno (95), Kaduna (16), Jigawa (14), Bauchi (8), Lagos (8), FCT (5), Gombe (5), Osun (3), Sokoto (3), Niger (2), Cross River (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1) and Zamfara (1).
“The majority (5,299 [73.6%]) of the confirmed cases occurred among children aged 1 – 14 years with those aged 5-14 years bearing most of the brunt of the disease,” the statement reads.
“So far, a total of 453 deaths have occurred in confirmed cases giving a case fatality rate (CFR) of 6.3%.
“Given the escalation of the outbreak and findings that 80% of confirmed cases in the ongoing outbreak are unvaccinated, the Honourable Coordinating Minister of the FMOH&SW, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, set up a national emergency task team co-chaired by the Executive Director of NPHCDA and the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for higher level coordination of outbreak response efforts.
“A historical gap in vaccination coverage is a driver of the outbreak given the most affected age group (5–14 year-olds) and results of the nationwide diphtheria immunity survey that shows only 42% of children under 15 years old are fully protected from diphtheria.”
The ministry said since the confirmation of an outbreak, it has been coordinating surveillance, laboratory investigation, vaccination, case management, and risk communication activities through its agencies.
It advised parents to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated against diphtheria with the three doses of diphtheria antitoxin-containing pentavalent vaccine given as part of Nigeria’s childhood immunisation schedule.
“Individuals with signs and symptoms suggestive of diphtheria should promptly present to a health care facility or designated diphtheria treatment centres and where possible they and/or healthcare workers should notify their LGA, State Disease Surveillance Officer (DSNO), their State Ministry of Health helpline, or the NCDC through our toll-free line on 6232,” the statement reads.
