The recent report that diphtheria has spread to 114 local government areas in 19 states across the country is very alarming. The country has so far recorded over 453 deaths, mostly children, from diphtheria. According to reports, Kano, Yobe and Katsina states have recorded more cases of the rampaging disease, which can be prevented through vaccination. As at October 3, Kano, Yobe and Katsina had recorded the highest cases of diphtheria with 7,188, 775, and 232 cases, respectively.
Similarly, Borno State had recorded 118 cases; Jigawa, 23 cases; Bauchi, 20 cases; Kaduna, 17 cases; Lagos, eight cases; FCT, six cases; Gombe, five cases; Osun and Sokoto, three cases each. Niger State had two cases; while Cross River, Enugu, Imo, Nasarawa, Zamfara and Kebbi had one each. With 7,188 cases, Kano is adjudged the epicenter of the diphtheria outbreak at 84 per cent.
Addressing journalists on the outbreak of diphtheria, the Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed that out of the 13,204 diphtheria cases reported as at October 3, about 8,406 were confirmed cases from 114 local government areas and 19 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Available records show that most of the confirmed cases of diphtheria are actually from unvaccinated children. Out of the 8,406 confirmed cases, 5,371 or 64 per cent are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Also, 966 or 11 per cent are with unknown vaccination status. The figures also show that 2,069 or 25 per cent are fully vaccinated against the disease.
Considering the magnitude of the spread of the disease, it is likely that the government might reintroduce the mandatory use of facemask in public gatherings in the affected states with high cases of diphtheria. The new preventive measure is largely to curb community transmission of the disease as well as its spread to other states of the federation.
It is instructive that the government has developed and distributed the Standard Operating Procedures for Diphtheria Antitoxin for use across the states. Government has equally put in place other case management measures to contain the rampaging disease. The intensification of vaccination campaign in five high burden local government areas of Kano State, the epicenter of diphtheria outbreak and its extension to Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi and Yobe states is in order.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, says that the agency is collaborating with states’ ministries of health to intensify reactive vaccination, case identification, laboratory confirmation and case management. The NCDC is also assisting the affected states in areas of risk management and community engagement to reduce further spread of the disease.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has revealed that about 453 people had died from diphtheria as at September 24, 2023. It disclosed that the majority of the confirmed cases occurred among children aged 1-14 years. Children aged 5-14 years are reportedly the most affected by the disease. Diphtheria is a serious infection of the nose and throat that is easily preventable by a vaccine.
According to medical experts, diphtheria is caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The symptoms include sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes and weakness. Good enough, diphtheria vaccines are provided routinely in Nigeria through childhood immunization schedule and other national immunization campaigns. The government has admitted that a gap in vaccination coverage is the major driver of the current outbreak of diphtheria across the country. This is further buttressed by the fact that most of the affected age group and results of the nationwide diphtheria immunity survey indicated that only 42 per cent of children under 15 years old were fully protected from the disease.
To stem the further spread of the disease, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria has deployed 9.3 million doses of diphtheria vaccines in the affected states, especially Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa. The global agency will raise additional $3.3 million before the end of the year to support government’s efforts to effectively respond to the disease outbreak.
UNICEF Representative, Dr. Rownak Khan, has rightly observed that “the devastating impact of the diphtheria outbreak is a grim reminder of the importance of vaccination.” Khan added that “Nigeria is home to a staggering 2.2 million children who have not received even a single dose of vaccine, the second largest in the world.” Therefore, we call on the government, development partners and other stakeholders to take urgent actions to drastically reduce the number of children affected by the disease. Let the government ensure that every child is protected from preventable diseases.