Nigeria confirms 798 cases of mouth disease in 7 months…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has said that a total of 798 confirmed cases of diphtheria have been recorded in Nigeria with one death since December 2022.

In an official press statement signed by the Director General of NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa also disclosed that 654 cases of the 798 confirmed cases were not vaccinated.

Acknowledging that the Centre was aware of the death of a four-year-old with diphtheria in June 2023 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, he also noted that since December 2022, the country has reported multiple diphtheria outbreaks in different states across the country.

The statement stated that: “As of June 30th, 2023, there have been 798 confirmed diphtheria cases from 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in eight (8) States including the FCT.

“Most of the cases (782) were recorded in Kano. Other States with cases are Lagos, Yobe, Katsina, Cross River, Kaduna, and Osun. The majority (71.7 per cent) of the 798 confirmed cases occurred among children aged 2 – 14 years. So far, a total of 80 deaths have been recorded among all confirmed cases (case fatality rate of 10.0 per cent).

Adetifa explained that Diphtheria is caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae, but can be prevented with one of the vaccines provided routinely through Nigeria’s childhood immunisation schedule.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and ensure persons with symptoms of diphtheria present early to health facilities for prompt diagnosis and treatment, adding that early diagnosis and institution of effective treatment are key predictors of a favourable outcome.