Kano Records 130 Cases Of Diphtheria Disease As States Beg For FG Intervention

At least one hundred and thirty cases of Diphtheria disease have been confirmed in Kano State.

The figures were confirmed to newsmen on Thursday, July 27, by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Yusuf, Naija News understands.

Yusuf said yesterday that the state healthcare has since deployed the necessary mechanisms to curtail the wild spreading disease, noting that 130 persons were admitted last Monday alone as the case continued to rise.

The PUNCH quoted the commissioner to have lamented that a state such as Kano should not be battling such an outbreak. Yusuf accused the previous administration in the state of failing to immunise the people.

“Governor Abba Yusuf has since directed the ministry to swing into action to curtail the spread of the deadly disease. Three designated centres have been provided for treatment and admission.

“The general public should not hesitate to seek medical assistance whenever they experience any of the symptoms listed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control,” the Health Commissioner reportedly said.

How Kwara Is Responding To Diphtheria

In a bid to curtail the infectious disease, the Executive Secretary of Kwara State’s Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Nusirat Elelu, told journalists on Thursday that the state had extended immunisation of children and infants to 388 healthcare facilities in the state.

According to him, the immunization was not limited to diphtheria alone but other children’s diseases, including poliomyelitis.

“We have extended our immunisation to 388 facilities covering the 194 wards in the 16 local government councils of Kwara State.

“We are not limiting the immunisation to diphtheria alone; we are also covering poliomyelitis and other diseases that can affect children in infancy,” Elehu told the publication.

Gombe Ready To Stop Diphtheria

Though the state has not recorded any case of the disease since its outbreak, the state Epidemiologist, Dr Bile Nuhu, told journalists that proactive measures had been taken to stop diphtheria.

According to Nuhu, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) have much to do at the federal level on immunization to cover all areas.

“Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease. It’s captured in the routine vaccines for children younger than nine months. If children have that one, they are protected. Now the issue is that we have diphtheria, which affects children from two to 14 years old. The routine immunisation only covers those younger than one year. The efforts at the federal level between the NCDC and NPHCDA are to see how they can expand it so that it can cover the other ones,” Nuhu noted.

Low Turn For Vaccination In Abuja

Findings by journalists revealed that residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja are responding poorly to the vaccination of their children.

A public announcement on the discovery of diphtheria was made in the country’s capital city three weeks ago.

Naija News understands that the FCT Director, Public Health Department, Dr Sadiq Abdulrahman, had on July 3 announced the outbreak of the disease, confirming the death of a four-year-old in Abuja by the infectious disease.

Reporters who visited several hospitals in the FCT discovered that only a small number of parents visited the hospitals to have their children vaccinated.

At the Garki District Hospital, The PUNCH noted that only about five parents were present with their children under seven years old to receive the vaccine as at the time of visitation.

The doctor-in-charge of the immunisation unit, who gave his name only as Dr John, explained to journalists that the numbers were low because it wasn’t their immunisation day, which he said was usually on Fridays.

At the Wuse District Hospital in Wuse Zone 4, the officer-in-charge, Mrs Tsevende Jennifer, told journalists that: “We have a drop in attendance now because of this fuel subsidy. But on average, we vaccinate between 15 and 25 children every day, Mondays to Fridays.”

Osun State Response To Diphtheria Disease

Nursing mothers have been turning out in their large numbers to get the vaccine for infants in Osun state, said the state’s Epidemiologist, Dr Omolola Adeagbo.

Interacting with journalists on the bacterial infection, Adeagbo attributed the improved turnout for vaccination in Osun to an awareness campaign.

Meanwhile, the Group Leader, Bacteriology Unit, Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Disease, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Prof. Adekunle Olowe, urged the government at all levels to intensify sensitisation of the public on diphtheria to curb further spread of the disease.

Olowe told journalists in Osogbo, the state capital, that the increasing spread of the disease should be of concern to the government and called for an aggressive awareness campaign, especially in rural areas, for people to be familiar with the symptoms of diphtheria

“Many residents who are illiterates don’t know about this disease yet. Government should focus more on awareness, especially in the rural areas. So far, Osun has recorded two cases, one death while the other recovered. There are states with higher cases,” the health expert reportedly said.

Naija News reports that the diphtheria outbreaks earlier recorded in Lagos, Ondo, and Kano states in January had triggered a national response by the NDDC.