DIPHTHERIA OUTBREAK: KANO APPEALS FOR VACCINES AFTER 50 DEATHS

The Kano State Government has appealed to the Federal Government for additional diphtheria vaccines as health authorities respond to an outbreak that has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area.

The Director-General of the Kano Centre for Disease Control, Professor Muhammad Abbas, made the appeal while addressing journalists on the situation.

He said the state had formally requested additional vaccine supplies to enable authorities to conduct mass vaccination and strengthen efforts to contain the outbreak.

Abbas also urged parents and residents to report suspected cases early and take affected persons to healthcare facilities for prompt treatment. He said early presentation could significantly improve the chances of recovery.

The health official expressed concern that some cases had not been reported to hospitals, despite the state having 126 disease surveillance and notification officers deployed across its 44 local government areas.

He disclosed that Kano had recorded more than 38,000 suspected diphtheria cases since 2022, with over 31,000 confirmed cases.

According to him, more than 55 per cent of confirmed cases involved zero-dose children, meaning children who had not received any form of vaccination. Another portion of cases involved children who were only partially immunised.

The Kano health authorities are currently investigating reported deaths in Rano through surveillance activities and verbal autopsies to establish the actual causes of death.

The state House of Assembly had earlier urged Governor Abba Yusuf to urgently intervene following reports of the outbreak and the deaths recorded in Rano.

The development has renewed calls for stronger routine immunisation, early detection and reporting of suspected cases, as well as increased access to vaccines in communities at risk.

Kano health authorities said continued cooperation from parents, healthcare workers and communities would be essential to controlling the outbreak and preventing further deaths.