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From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
More than 50 children have died following an outbreak of diphtheria in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State, as lawmakers warned that the disease has spread to neighbouring communities.
The member representing Rano Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Muhammad, disclosed the death toll while moving a motion of urgent public importance during plenary.
Muhammad identified Ridin and Sabuwar Qaura communities as the worst-hit areas, saying urgent intervention was required to contain the outbreak and prevent further deaths.
He told the House that some emergency measures had already been taken, including the procurement of drugs and deployment of health workers to the affected communities, but said the scale of the outbreak required greater government intervention.
The lawmaker recalled that a similar outbreak of diphtheria claimed the lives of several children in the area last year. “We want to inform the Governor and the Commissioner for Health to send further emergency aid to the region because the disease has spread heavily in that area,” he said.
Muhammad urged Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Commissioner for Health to immediately deploy additional medical personnel, drugs and other emergency support to the affected communities.
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Supporting the motion, the member representing Kiru Constituency, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, raised concerns that the disease had spread beyond Rano to Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa in Kiru Local Government Area.
Tasiu told the House that an All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leader in Kiru had lost two of his children to the disease in a single day.
He called for the establishment of an emergency response committee covering Rano, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure, Bebeji and Kiru local government areas to coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak.
The member representing Dawakin Tofa Constituency, Saleh Ahmad, urged the state government to intensify vaccination and other preventive measures, warning that the highly contagious disease could spread further without swift intervention.
Also contributing, Majority Leader Lawan Husseini called on the government to invoke provisions of the Kano State Health Protection Law to strengthen the emergency response.
He said the law provides for measures including emergency relief, free healthcare, isolation and restrictions on movement in areas affected by infectious diseases.
Following deliberations, the House unanimously adopted the motion and directed its Committee on Health to work with the state Ministry of Health to ensure implementation of the relevant provisions of the law and delivery of emergency relief to affected communities.
