THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced yesterday that diphtheria has claimed the lives of at least 1,191 individuals across Nigeria from May 2023 to the present.
The Incident Manager for the National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre, Dr. Muzzammil Gadanya, provided this information during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for the diphtheria outbreak held in Kaduna.
He revealed that there have been over 38,000 suspected cases of the disease, with 23,000 confirmed cases.
Gadanya stated that the main objective of the review meeting was to evaluate Nigeria’s current response strategies and enhance coordination efforts to prevent further transmission of the disease. He noted a significant decrease in diphtheria cases nationwide.
He also highlighted the availability of vaccines for routine immunization, stressing the importance of ongoing efforts to maintain progress in controlling the disease.
Additionally, Dr. Manir Jega, Director of Healthcare at the Nigeria Red Cross, stated that, “Since the diphtheria outbreak, we have assisted the government by deploying 3,700 community-based volunteers who conducted house-to-house sensitization efforts. We have also organized road shows to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of the disease.”
