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The recent outbreak of diphtheria in some parts of the country has claimed no fewer than 1,767 persons in Kano State and 23 persons in Plateau State. According to the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KSCDC), the disease has spread to all the 44 local government areas of the state, with 1,767 deaths from 12,633 confirmed cases, out of a total 39.536 reported cases across the state.
While dismissing the report that 50 children died from the disease in Rano Local government area of the state, the Director-General of the KSCDC, Dr Muhammad Abbas, disclosed that only 24.35 per cent of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated, while 75.65 per cent were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
In Plateau State, the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (DSNO) for Jos North Council Area, Baks Bullus, said 15 people have been confirmed dead out of the 117 suspected cases. He said the deaths were recorded within three days of the outbreak and warned that the cases could increase if urgent measures were not taken to contain the scourge.
In a related development, the Katsina state government has vaccinated over 150,000 people as part of reactive measures to curb the spread of the disease in 15 high-risk wards. Already, the disease has spread to 29 local government areas, with Funtua recording the highest figure.
It was quickly followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura. The Media Directorate of Katsina Government House says that the on-going diphtheria vaccination campaign targets 114,570 children aged six months to five years for preventive vaccination, and 146,075 persons aged five to 15 years diphtheria vaccination across the five implementing councils. The Assistant Director of Epidemiology at the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency (SPHCA), Dr Aminu Lawal, has blamed low vaccination as a major challenge to diphtheria containment efforts in the state.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) fact sheet, diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheria, which affects the upper respiratory tract and, less often, the skin. It also produces a toxin that damages the heart and the nerves. Experts explain that diphtheria can be transmitted from person to person. It keeps spreading when people come in close contact with an infected patient, and it can be disastrous.
The UN agency says that diphtheria is a vaccine preventable disease, but multiple doses and booster doses are needed to produce and sustain immunity. It further says that those who are not immunised or under-immunised are at the risk of the disease. For unvaccinated individuals, without proper treatment, it warned that diphtheria can be fatal in around 30 per cent of cases, with young children at higher risk of dying.
The WHO also pointed out that recent diphtheria outbreaks stress the importance of sustaining high levels of vaccination coverage in communities across the life course. About 85 per cent of infants (110 million) worldwide received the recommended three doses of diphtheria-containing vaccine, leaving 15 per cent (nearly 20 million) with no or incomplete coverage in 2025. In all, only 83 countries have all three WHO-recommended diphtheria toxoid-containing booster doses in their national immunisation programmes, and 42 countries have no boosters at all.
Common symptoms of the disease include fever, sore throat and swelling of the neck glands and characteristic thick grey coating in the throat that obstructs breathing. Medical experts say that being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with diphtheria or spreading it to other people, stressing that the vaccine is safe and helps the body to fight off the infection. Unvaccinated individuals face a fatality rate of up to 30 per cent without proper treatment, dropping significantly early with antibiotics and diphtheria anti-toxin (DAT).
In the African region, outbreaks in countries like Nigeria, Guinea and Niger have strained local health systems due to localized under-vaccination and immunity gaps. However, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported thousands of confirmed cases in recent surges, which prompted intensified reactive vaccination campaigns and emergency coordination.
Since diphtheria is a vaccine preventable disease, we call for a national coordinated vaccination campaign in the affected states to stop the disease from spreading to other states. We task the leadership of the NCDC to step up action in stemming diphtheria deaths and cases in Kano, Plateau and Katsina states.
