FG sets up task force to contain diphtheria outbreak in Katsina, Kano

The Federal Government has dispatched 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines to Kano and Katsina states to combat a disease outbreak. This emergency action, announced by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Friday, involves the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to bolster immunization efforts in at-risk communities and regions.

The intervention stems from an emergency response orchestrated by Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. The effort is coordinated by a multi-agency task force comprising NPHCDA, state governments, and international health partners, chaired jointly by the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the Director of Public Health.

The task force will investigate the outbreak, bolster surveillance, and intensify vaccination campaigns, focusing on unvaccinated children. The Federal Government is also expanding diphtheria treatment access in Katsina State, planning treatment annexes in hospitals across the state's three senatorial districts.