Diphtheria kills 1,191 persons in 17 months in Nigeria – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says no fewer than 1,191 persons have been killed by diphtheria from May 2023 to date across Nigeria.

The Incident Manager of the National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre of the NCDC, Muzzammil Gadanya, disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for Diphtheria outbreak.

He said the country recorded suspected cases of more than 38,000 persons while the number of confirmed cases stood at 23,000.

Mr Gadanya said the primary focus of the review meeting was to assess Nigeria’s current response mechanisms and strengthen coordination efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.

He, however, said that there was a significant reduction in diphtheria cases nationwide.

Mr Gadany said vaccines were available for routine immunisation, emphasising the need for continued efforts to sustain progress in containing the disease.

Also speaking, Manir Jega, the director of healthcare of the Nigeria Red Cross, said his agency serves as an auxiliary to the government.

He said, ”Since the outbreak of diphtheria, we have supported the government by sending 3,700 community-based volunteers, who also engaged in house-to-house sensitisation.

“We also sensitised the populace by road shows, educating them on the signs and systems of the disease.”

The News Agency reports that the stakeholders gathered at the meeting to evaluate the current strategies in combating the outbreak and to identify areas that require further improvement.

The key participants included the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross, IFRC and representatives from the sub-national bodies.

They shared their experiences in managing diphtheria cases and provided updates on state-level responses.

The officials highlighted the need for increased public awareness about vaccination and the importance of active case-finding.

It is hoped that the discussions and insights from the review meeting will play a crucial role in further mitigating the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria.

Key recommendations, including expanding vaccination efforts, increasing public awareness initiatives, and implementing active contact tracing in affected areas, were made.

This was with the hope that these actions would play a crucial role in reducing the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria and strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to future outbreaks.

(NAN)