{
  "id": 8707471,
  "title": "332 cases recorded as Diphtheria spreads to Gombe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/332-cases-recorded-as-diphtheria-spreads-to-gombe",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-20T14:07:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/332-cases-recorded-as-diptheria-spreads-to-gombe/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Diphtheria has spread to four local government areas in Gombe State, Nigeria, with a total of 332 cases reported. The affected areas are Akko, Gombe, Kwami, and Funakaye. The state's Ministry of Education has issued an urgent directive to schools across the state, urging them to collaborate with health officials during the vaccination campaign. The first phase of the immunization process is planned to commence on September 20, 2026, and will continue until September 24, 2026. The second dose will be administered 14 days after the first, and the final dose will follow seven days later. School principals are responsible for informing students, parents, Parent-Teacher Associations, and School-Based Management Committees about the vaccination effort. Schools must grant authorized health personnel access to students for vaccination and must support measures to contain the outbreak. Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection that spreads through respiratory droplets and close contact with infected individuals. The outbreak has led to heightened vaccination efforts and public awareness campaigns, with a particular focus on schools and communities in the affected local government areas.",
  "summary": "The Gombe State Government has commenced an emergency vaccination campaign following the outbreak of diphtheria, with about 332 cases recorded in four Local Government Areas of the state. The affected local government areas are Akko, Gombe, Kwami and Funakaye. The state Ministry of Education, in a directive issued to principals of schools across the state, […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}