Diphtheria outbreak: Kano appeals for vaccines after 50 deaths

Kano State in Nigeria is facing a diphtheria outbreak. The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has recorded 32 diphtheria cases this year, with 25 of those cases occurring in August. According to the KNCDC Director-General, Professor Muhammad Abbas, seven of the patients were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital, the designated isolation and treatment centre for diphtheria cases in Kano.

The KNCDC is investigating reported deaths of more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area over suspected diphtheria infections. The Director-General attributed the difference between the 32 officially recorded cases and the reported deaths to late reporting, with some patients being treated at home or by traditional healers instead of seeking care at health facilities.

The Kano State government has appealed to the Federal Government for additional diphtheria vaccines to combat the outbreak. The government is also urging early reporting to save lives, with the KNCDC conducting verbal autopsies to determine the actual cause of death and whether diphtheria was the cause.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria, Punch — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.