Nigeria recorded 836 cases and 80 deaths from diphtheria between May and June 2023. 71.5 percent of the cases occurred among children aged 2 – 14 years.
Although diphtheria is a disease that can be prevented by taking a vaccine, NCDC noted that only 21.7 percent of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a “diphtheria toxin-containing vaccine.”
The Kaduna state government confirmed that as of Sunday, the death toll from the diphtheria outbreak had risen to 17, and 68 suspected cases across the state. Based on Channel reports, 14 deaths were recorded in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area (LGA), while three fatalities occurred in Makarfi LGA.
Kano State accounted for 819 confirmed cases out of the 836 cases, followed by Lagos State with eight cases. Three cases were recorded in Yobe State and two in Katsina State.
The FCT, Osun, Kaduna, and Cross River states recorded single cases each.
However, Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, the FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara state account for 98.0 percent of suspected cases.
