Mercy JohnsonBy Mercy Johnson
Cases of Diphtheria have spread to 105 local government areas across Nigeria with 7,202 cases recorded and 453 children dead as a result of the disease.
This was revealed in a statement released on Monday, signed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in conjunction with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), among other partners.
According to the statement, as of September 24, 2023, there were 11,587 suspected cases out of 7,202 cases out of which 7,202 were confirmed cases across 105 Local Government Areas in 18 states, and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).
READ ALSO: Nigeria Records 216 Confirmed Diphtheria Cases – NCDC
The statement further revealed that Kano had the highest number of confirmed cases with 6,185 cases.
Other States with cases are Yobe (640), Katsina (213), Borno (95), Kaduna (16), Jigawa (14), Bauchi (8), Lagos (8), FCT (5), Gombe (5), Osun (3), Sokoto (3), Niger (2), Cross River (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1) and Zamfara (1).
It said that the majority (5,299, representing 73.6%) of the confirmed cases occurred among children aged 1 – 14 years with those aged 5-14 years bearing much of the impact of the disease.
What is Diphtheria?
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease that affects the nose, throat and sometimes the skin of the infected person. It is caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae of which children below the age of 15 are mostly affected. It can be spread through direct contact with infected people, droplets from an infected person coughing or sneezing, and contact with contaminated objects.
READ ALSO: Diphtheria: All You Need To Know
Response to the outbreak
In response to the rapid increase of the outbreak and discovery that 80% of confirmed cases in the outbreak are unvaccinated, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH&SW), Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, set up a National emergency task team co-led by the Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) for higher level coordination of the outbreak of the infection. The task force comprises other prominent members, including the Director of Public Health-FMOH, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Information, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), USCDC, USAID, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and various non-governmental organisations and development partners.
The government stated that it has actively coordinated surveillance and response activities across the country since the outbreak of the disease in December 2022. They emphasised that the historical gap in vaccination coverage serves as a driver of the outbreak, as indicated by the most affected age group and the results of the nationwide diphtheria immunity survey, which shows that only 42 per cent of children under 15 years old are fully protected from diphtheria.
The statement reads in part: “For the first time for any diphtheria outbreak, the FMOH&SW through NCDC and with WHO support, procured diphtheria antitoxin and more recently intravenous erythromycin and distributed them to the affected states.”
It further mentions that “With support from partners and in collaboration with the states’ Ministries of Health, Diphtheria Treatment Centres/Wards have been established in affected states.”
The government has also intensified routine diphtheria immunisation and reactivated vaccination campaigns in 33 LGAs in Bauchi, Katsina, Yobe, Kano, and Kaduna, the statement indicated.
“To reduce the risk of diphtheria,” the government advised parents to ensure that their children receive the three doses of diphtheria antitoxin-containing pentavalent vaccine as part of Nigeria’s childhood immunisation schedule.
It also emphasised that healthcare workers should maintain a high index of suspicion for diphtheria and practise standard infection prevention and control precautions when handling all patients in their care.
READ ALSO: New Disease Outbreak Hits Nigeria As Diphtheria Kills 25 In Kano
People at risk of contracting Diphtheria
According to NCDC, people most at risk of contracting diphtheria are “children and adults who have not received any or a single dose of the pentavalent vaccine (a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine); people who live in a crowded environment, in areas with poor sanitation, and; healthcare workers who are exposed to suspected or confirmed cases of diphtheria.”
NCDC also stated that the disease spreads easily among people through direct contact with infected individuals, droplets from coughing or sneezing, and contact with contaminated clothing and objects.
Symptoms of diphtheria
The symptoms of diphtheria have been said to include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes (conjunctivitis), and neck swelling, according to NCDC. It further revealed that in severe cases, a thick grey or white patch appears on the tonsils and, or at the back of the throat associated with difficulty in breathing.
Members of the public have been advised to desist from spreading rumours and only share verified information from credible sources like FMOH&SW, NCDC, NPHCDA, SMOH, WHO, UNICEF and other verified sources.
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