Diphtheria outbreak: NPHCDA confirms death of 117 children in Yobe… 

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has confirmed the death of 117 children in Yobe state since November 2022 following the outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria.

NPHCDA executive director Dr. Faisal Shuaib disclosed this during a visit to the diphtheria isolation centre in potiskum the epicentre of the disease in Yobe State.

So far 1796 cases of the disease have been reported in the northeast state since the outbreak in 2022 and was more prevalent among children between the ages of five to 14 years.

Dr. Shuaib who led the diphtheria emergency task team to the state expressed satisfaction with the diphtheria vaccination conducted in Potiskum and 17 other council areas.

Meanwhile, another round of the vaccination exercise is scheduled for 12th October 2023.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease caused mainly by the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae which can be fatal in 5-10% of cases, with a higher mortality rate in young children.

According to the World Health Orgnisation (WHO), between 30 June and 31 August 2023, Nigeria recorded an unusual increase in the number of confirmed diphtheria cases.

From 30 June to 31 August 2023, a total of 5,898 suspected cases were reported from 59 local government areas in 11 states across the country.

The majority (99.4%) of suspected cases were reported from Kano (1816), Katsina (234), Yobe (158), Bauchi (79), Kaduna (45) and Borno (33).