Diphtheria claims 453 lives in 18 states – FG

The Federal Government has recorded 11,587 suspected cases of diphtheria in the country with 7,202 confirmed cases from 105 local government areas (LGAs) in 18 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This was disclosed on Monday in an update on the diphtheria outbreak published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

Diphtheria is a dangerous infection caused by a toxin-producing bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is a vaccine-preventable disease that is protected by one of the vaccines frequently offered as part of Nigeria’s pediatric immunisation programme.

“Most (6,185) of the confirmed cases were recorded in Kano. Other States with cases are Yobe (640), Katsina (213), Borno (95), Kaduna (16), Jigawa (14), Bauchi (8), Lagos (8), FCT (5), Gombe (5), Osun (3), Sokoto (3), Niger (2), Cross River (1), Enugu (1), Imo (1), Nasarawa (1) and Zamfara (1),” the statement said.