No fewer than 30,000 cases of diphtheria have been recorded across several local government areas in Kano State.
The Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Muhammad Abbas, confirmed this on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief.
Abbas, who spoke on Tuesday, disclosed that from the start of the outbreak till date, “we have a total of 39,536 suspected cases, out of which we have confirmed cases of 32,633,” adding that “it is affecting the 44 local government areas of the State.”
He further stated that “the fatalities we have are 1,744,” while “14.5% of them” among the confirmed cases have been hospitalised.
Diphtheria is caused by the bacterium known as Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is a serious infectious disease that often causes breathing and swallowing problems.
It can cause sores on your skin, as well.
The germ multiplies on or near the mucous membranes of the throat, nose, or skin.
The true danger comes from a dangerous toxin (poison) that the bacteria release into the body.
Addressing response efforts, he noted that “what Kano needs to do is mass vaccination,” while calling for community collaboration to support surveillance and early detection.
“When we went deep into the villages and did what we call active case searches among the dead, another child met the definition of diphtheria,” he said, emphasising that early reporting remains critical to containing the spread.