Diphtheria: Kano engages traditional rulers to boost vaccination

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has enlisted the help of traditional rulers in the state to ramp up community efforts for diphtheria vaccination and combating other vaccine-preventable illnesses. This decision came after a recent diphtheria outbreak in Rano Local Government Area, prompting fears of fatalities from the disease.

KNCDC Director-General Prof. Muhammad Adamu Abbas held discussions with district heads from the Kano Emirate Council in Kano, emphasizing the importance of vaccination and requesting the traditional institution's support to curb the spread of diphtheria via higher vaccine acceptance and prompt reporting of suspected cases.

Many of the diphtheria cases reported in the state involved children who had not been immunized, sought treatment from non-medical sources, or were brought to health facilities late. The KNCDC head appealed to the traditional rulers to mobilize their communities to adopt vaccinations and advise residents to seek immediate medical attention when illness symptoms arise.

Additionally, the KNCDC urged traditional leaders to discourage traditional medicine practitioners and barbers from treating suspected diphtheria cases, encouraging affected individuals to be promptly transferred to health facilities.

In response, Dankadai of Kano, Dr Bashir Dankadai, pledged the traditional institution's dedication to supporting the campaign against diphtheria. He outlined that district heads would work with village heads, who would subsequently engage ward heads to educate residents about vaccination and the significance of early presentation at health facilities.

Dankadai also noted that traditional healers, especially barbers (Wanzamai), would be cautioned against interfering with diphtheria treatment or performing traditional surgical interventions on affected individuals.

Earlier, the KNCDC had called for the urgent delivery of nine million doses of diphtheria vaccines to mitigate the disease's spread in Kano. The Federal Ministry of Health has subsequently dispatched 500,000 doses of vaccines and a special task force to Kano and Katsina states to oversee surveillance and a swift response to the outbreak.