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• Anxiety in Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Lagos, Abuja, others ν Health experts caution traditional healers, barbers ν Symptoms to watch out for, how childhood immunisation can prevent disease
By Desmond Mgboh (Kano), Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye (Abuja), Scholastica Hir (Makurdi), Noah Ebije (Kaduna), Agaju Madugba (Katsina), Jude Owuamanam (Jos), Doris Obinna (Lagos)
With sore throat, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, fever, weakness or a thick coating in the throat as symptoms, diphtheria, an acute bacterial infection, is spreading across northern Nigeria with rising casualty figures.
Heath experts are worried that the disease can devastate within a short time, with incubation period ranging from two to ten days.
Health authorities also say diphtheria primarily affects the nose and throat and may sometimes affect the skin. Other symptoms may include cough and catarrh that could progress rapidly to swelling of the neck.
Across the already affected states, the Federal Capital Territory and beyond, measures are being taken to manage the spread.
Katsina: Disease spreads to 30 LGAs as state govt establishes isolation centres
No fewer than 30 persons infected with diphtheria lost their lives as of late August in Katsina State. Health authorities in the state say the figure represents about 5.6 per cent of a total 1,000 suspected cases reported from various health facilities across the state.
According to the Acting Executive Secretary at the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Shema’u Kabir, the disease has spread to 30 out of the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.
Dr Kabiru identified the most vulnerable LGAs as Funtua, Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura, with Funtua having the highest burden as at August 28.
She disclosed that reactive vaccination commenced on 25th August 2026 in 15 high-risk wards across five LGAs of Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia.
The campaign is being implemented in collaboration with the NPHCDA, with logistical support from UNICEF.
She said that since the beginning of the campaign, 67,670 eligible persons have received Td vaccine, while 24,103 children had received Pentavalent vaccine across five implementing LGAs.
“Katsina State government has secured additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria- containing vaccines for reactive vaccination to rapidly protect people living in high-risk and affected communities.
“In addition to vaccination, the government is strengthening case management to ensure that suspected and confirmed cases receive prompt and appropriate treatment.
“The state government has established three additional isolation centres, in addition to the existing NCDC-supported isolation centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
“Despite these efforts, we continue to face important challenges. These include suboptimal vaccination uptake, late presentation of suspected cases to health facilities and the challenge posed by our porous international border with the Niger Republic.
“The government is addressing these gaps in collaboration with our partners, while strengthening routine immunisation to reduce the number of children who remain susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases.”
As part of efforts to further contain and manage the diphtheria outbreak, the government last week inaugurated an isolation centre at the General Amadi Rimi Specialist Orthopaedic Hospital in Katsina. The centre is expected to complement the facility at the Federal Teaching Hospital.
According to the Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu Funtua similar isolation centres have been established in the Funtua and Daura zones to bring treatment and response services closer to affected communities.
Kano dismisses 50 diphtheria deaths in Rano, set for 300,000 immunisation doses
The Kano State Centre for Disease Control has proposed six million doses of immunisation while dismissing reports of a diphtheria outbreak in the state.
The centre said it has no record of 50 deaths in Rano Local Government Area (LGA) or anywhere else in Kano, contrary to widespread reports.
Director-General of the centre, Dr. Muhammad Abbas, said the centre’s records and active case searches do not support the claim of more than 50 deaths raised by the member of the Kano State House of Assembly representing Rano during plenary. He added that Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers in all 44 LGAs of the state, ward focal persons, community informants, mobilisers, district heads, and ward heads in the affected town have also not confirmed the claim.
Abbas acknowledged that diphtheria has been in the state for some time, but noted that cases have dropped recently.
According to him, from October 2, 2022 to date, Kano recorded more than 39,000 suspected cases. Out of these, over 32,000 were confirmed positive after investigation, and about 1,800 people died within that period.
Abbas said that while cases have occurred since 2022, the burden has reduced drastically.
He recalled that in 2022–2023, Kano alone accounted for more than 85 percent of the national diphtheria burden.
“That means 35 states and the FCT were sharing only 15 percent of the disease then. But now it has gone very low,” he said, linking the reduction to deliberate steps taken by the centre, including decentralising treatment centres to bring care closer to rural communities.
“We wondered why suspected cases from Tudun Wada Dankadi village should come to IDH in the metropolis for diphtheria treatment. Normally, poor people with poor transportation would board commercial vehicles and go by Keke NAPEP. Time is lost, and they could interact with other people in transit,” he explained.
“So we wrote to His Excellency that we need to decentralise the treatment centres. That is how we started treatment in many facilities. Rano General Hospital is one of them, along with Bichi, Dambatta, and Tudun-Wada. I think we have 26 Diphtheria Treatment Centres today -13 in secondary facilities and 13 in primary facilities.”
Abbas expressed concern that many confirmed cases over the years were zero-dose children, meaning they had never received any vaccination in their lives. He said close to 17,000 of the 32,000 confirmed cases were children who had never been vaccinated at all.
“Most of the cases don’t report to hospitals early. Diphtheria is an acute illness. It can devastate within a short time. The incubation period can be as low as two days, or sometimes up to five to 10 days. That means people who have the disease are supposed to come to the hospital early. They don’t,” he said.
Abbas also cited traditional barbers as part of the problem. During active searches in Rano, the team found that some suspected cases had visited traditional barbers who removed the diphtheria membrane. Some even had incisions made on the neck.
“The danger is that the membrane is formed by toxins released by the bacteria. If you remove it, you create a raw wound, and more wounds mean more places for infection,” he warned.
“We invited the traditional healers and barbers, including their Sarkin Askia from Wudil, to a retreat. We told them we are not against their services, but they should know their limits, just as we know ours. We interacted with them, and most of them are now cooperating with us.”
“I projected six million vaccines, but the Primary Health Care Development Agency, which is responsible for supplying vaccines, requested three million. In the end, we were given only 300,000. That is 10 percent of the 3 million they requested, and five percent of my own request,” he said.
“In science, we have what is called herd immunity. Herd immunity means immunising as many people as possible so the disease has no one to infect and dies out. For that, you need to cover about 75 per cent of the people. Diphtheria in Kano is mainly a disease of childhood.
“The six million I projected, based on our population, is not even enough. We have 784 wards, and we only did campaigns in 20 wards. So I said on air that the National Primary Health Care Development Agency is supposed to give us these vaccines, but what they are giving us is not adequate. After we discussed the challenge with our governor, we were on the verge of buying vaccines from the market, which is very unusual. Then the next day, I received a call from the Federal Ministry of Health that 500,000 vaccines were coming to Kano and Katsina states.”
Plateau: Schools shut over spread of disease
Plateau State government has ordered temporary closure of schools as a preventive measure against further spread of diphtheria.
No fewer than 25 people have so far died while 143 people have been infected by the ravaging epidemic. The directive, which took effect from Monday, September 7, 2026, affects all public and private primary and secondary schools across the state.
Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap disclosed that Governor Caleb Mutfwang took the measures following suspected cases of outbreak of the disease in some parts of the state notably Jos North, Wase, Jos South and Bassa Local Government Areas.
“Furthermore, school proprietors, administrators, teachers, parents and guardians are to comply fully with the directive and ensure that students and pupils remain safely at home throughout the period as part of measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of pupils, students, teaching and non-teaching staff during the period under review,” the commissioner said.
While appreciating the understanding and full cooperation of all stakeholders, the government said that it would continue to take appropriate measures in the best interest of the people of Plateau State. The government promised to communicate further information on the resumption of academic activities to the public in due course.
Benue mounts surveillance
The Benue State government has declared that it is monitoring the outbreak of diphtheria in parts of northern Nigeria with a view to curtailing the spread in the state.
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The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche said the state’s surveillance system is monitoring the situation closely, because of the rise in cases of diphtheria. He explained that diphtheria is caused by toxin-producing corynebacterium diphtheriae and spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets and close contact.
He identified overcrowding, delayed recognition and treatment, poor access to healthcare, population movement and gaps in routine immunisation as other factors.
Ogwuche said the latest publicly available national diphtheria surveillance records do not indicate a confirmed diphtheria outbreak in Benue.
He said, “In the NCDC cumulative situation report, Benue had previously recorded a suspected case without laboratory confirmation, with no associated death.
“We are, however, not taking this for granted. The fact that neighbouring and other northern states are reporting cases means that we must maintain a high level of surveillance and preparedness.” To arrest the scourge, the commissioner said the ministry, through the State Epidemiology/Public Health Emergency surveillance structures and the State Primary Health Care Board, is strengthening surveillance for suspected diphtheria cases across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
He told our correspondent that the state is adopting several approaches including early identification, notification, investigation and laboratory confirmation of suspected cases.
He also stated that the state through his ministry is strengthening routine immunisation and ensuring that eligible children receive the recommended diphtheria-containing vaccines. The state is also ensuring active surveillance through health facilities and community-based surveillance structures as well as immediate investigation of any suspected case and appropriate referral and case management.
“We are also working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and development partners on preparedness, surveillance, vaccination and response.
“We are intensifying public awareness, particularly among parents, caregivers and schools, on the importance of immunisation and early presentation when a child develops symptoms suggestive of diphtheria.”
Dr Ogwuche described diphtheria as fundamentally a vaccine-preventable disease, and high population immunity remains the most important protection against outbreaks.
He said NCDC similarly identifies inadequate vaccination coverage as a major driver of diphtheria outbreaks.
Benue is also maintaining readiness to conduct targeted vaccination and other outbreak-control measures should a confirmed case or cluster occur.
He noted that there is currently no confirmed diphtheria outbreak in any LGA of Benue State based on the available surveillance information.
Kaduna: Immunisation campaign underway
The Kaduna State Ministry of Health says it will embark on a massive response immunisation campaign to strengthen preparedness and prevent the spread of diphtheria in the state.
The Director of Public Health, Dr Abubakar Sadiq-Idris, declared the massive immunisation campaign in the state.
The director said the state had put measures in place to manage cases at the Infectious Disease Centre in the Mando area of the city and other secondary healthcare facilities.
He added that health officials would continue to emphasise routine immunisation and vaccination as the primary defence against diphtheria.
“We understand that one of the reasons behind diphtheria is that some people do not take their children for immunisation.
“We have decided to embark on a response immunisation campaign and encourage mothers to ensure that their children are immunised,” he said.
According to him, the state is working closely with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board to secure additional drugs and medical commodities.
Saturday Sun gathered that the state health officials engaged traders, commuters and residents at the central market, railway station and Kabala Doki, educating them on the dangers, signs and symptoms, transmission and prevention of diphtheria.
The government urged residents to remain vigilant, ensure that their children were fully immunised, practise good hygiene and seek immediate medical attention when symptoms such as sore throat, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, fever, weakness or a thick coating in the throat occurred.
Abuja: FCTA warns against self-treatment as Abuja records 2 deaths
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned residents against self-treatment and unverified remedies for suspected diphtheria cases following the death of two persons out of five laboratory-confirmed cases in the territory. The warning came as the FCTA intensified its response to the outbreak, deploying a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to affected communities, including Karshi and surrounding rural and urban areas, to prevent further transmission of the potentially fatal bacterial infection.
Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this at a community sensitisation and advocacy programme on diphtheria in Karshi.
According to her, the FCT had investigated 15 suspected cases as of last week, with laboratory tests confirming five cases and recording two deaths.
She, however, said several of those infected had responded to treatment and have been discharged, stressing that early detection and prompt medical intervention remained critical to preventing deaths.
Fasawe particularly warned residents against attempting to remove or tamper with the pseudo-membrane that could form at the back of the throat of a diphtheria patient.
She recalled a tragic incident in which a child reportedly bled to death after a local barber attempted to cut the membrane from the child’s throat. The incident, she said, underscored the danger of relying on unqualified persons or local remedies when dealing with suspected cases. Fasawe urged residents to immediately report anyone exhibiting symptoms of diphtheria to public health authorities or take them to designated healthcare facilities for proper diagnosis and treatment. She explained that diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose and throat and may sometimes affect the skin.
Early symptoms, she said, could include fever, cough and catarrh, but the disease could progress rapidly to swelling of the neck and severe difficulty in breathing.
To contain the outbreak, Fasawe said the FCTA had activated a multidisciplinary Incident Management Team to conduct contact tracing, administer preventive antibiotics and intensify community mobilisation.
She added that health officials were engaging residents in local languages, including Hausa and Gbagyi, to ensure that information on symptoms, prevention and treatment reached vulnerable communities.
Representing the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Hanatu Bello assured residents of the agency’s technical and operational support to the FCT response.
She said the NCDC was working with the FCTA to interrupt the chain of transmission and strengthen risk communication across communities and other public platforms.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also urged residents to take advantage of routine childhood immunisation to close vaccination gaps that could leave children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
The FCT Coordinator of WHO, Imaobong Adebayo, represented by Dr Jibril Alkasim, said vaccines provided through routine immunisation were available and safe, while reaffirming the organisation’s support for field operations, active case searches and efforts to improve vaccination coverage among vulnerable populations.
Director, FCT Public Health Department, Teresa Nwachukwu, said there was no cause for panic, assuring residents that the territory’s health system had functional outbreak response mechanisms covering surveillance, case management and risk communication.
Nwachukwu identified children aged five to nine as the most vulnerable group based on available data and urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children received their routine vaccinations. She also called for improved environmental hygiene and early presentation at healthcare facilities, describing the measures as critical to stopping the spread of diphtheria and ultimately eliminating the disease from the FCT.
Lagos: No widespread outbreak
The Lagos State government has disclosed that the state has recorded 53 suspected diphtheria cases in 2026, of which six were laboratory-confirmed. All six confirmed cases were appropriately managed, while their contacts were traced and monitored during the incubation period.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi reassured residents that there is currently no widespread outbreak of diphtheria in the state, even as it strengthens surveillance following an active outbreak in several parts of the country.
He said Lagos remained particularly vigilant because of its large population and constant movement of people between the state and other parts of the country where diphtheria cases are being recorded.
“We are appealing to all Lagosians to remain calm. There is currently no outbreak of diphtheria in Lagos. We are taking precautionary measures,” he assured.
He explained that diphtheria is a bacterial respiratory infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which can produce a toxin capable of damaging vital organs, particularly the heart, while swelling and a thick membrane in the throat could obstruct breathing.
He urged residents to seek prompt medical attention if they develop severe sore throat, fever, weakness, difficulty swallowing or breathing, neck swelling, or a white or greyish membrane at the back of the throat, particularly after travelling to affected states or having contact with a confirmed case.
Abayomi said the state was strengthening active surveillance, laboratory testing, contact tracing and follow-up, while ensuring that designated health facilities were prepared to manage suspected cases and possible complications. He identified immunisation as the most effective protection against diphtheria and urged parents and guardians to ensure their children receive the complete three-dose pentavalent vaccine at six, 10 and 14 weeks.
The Commissioner disclosed that Lagos currently has about 64 per cent full vaccination coverage, leaving some children partially vaccinated or unvaccinated. He urged parents to check their children’s immunisation records and complete any outstanding doses.
He said more than 1,000 healthcare facilities across the public and private sectors offer routine immunisation services in Lagos, with free vaccines available at government health facilities. The four designated facilities for managing suspected diphtheria cases are Mainland Hospital, formerly Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba; Massey Street Children’s Hospital, Lagos Island; Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
