FG sends 500,000 diphtheria vaccines to Kano, Katsina

The Federal Government has supplied 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines to Kano and Katsina states as part of measures to contain outbreaks of the disease affecting children in some communities.

The intervention follows the activation of a multi-agency emergency task force to strengthen surveillance, increase vaccination coverage and improve access to treatment in affected areas.

The task force was established by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the affected state governments and development partners.

In a statement on Friday, the ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, said the NPHCDA had distributed the vaccines to Kano and Katsina for targeted immunisation of unvaccinated children in affected and high-risk communities.

The response plan also includes the establishment of treatment centres in Katsina State’s three senatorial districts — Katsina, Daura and Funtua — to ensure patients can receive prompt medical attention.

The Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, will also receive additional supplies of Diphtheria Antitoxin, intravenous antibiotics and personal protective equipment, as well as additional medical personnel.

The emergency task force is co-chaired by the Director-General of the NCDC and the Director of Public Health, with representatives from the NPHCDA, health ministries in Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and other agencies.

The ministry said the committee would monitor developments and issue weekly updates on the outbreak, response measures and emerging challenges.

The federal intervention followed the confirmation by the Kano State Centre for Disease Control of two diphtheria-related deaths in Rano Local Government Area.

Earlier reports had claimed that about 50 children died in the latest outbreak in Kano, although the state disease control agency subsequently confirmed two deaths.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It mainly affects the nose and throat and can cause serious complications or death, particularly among children who have not been adequately vaccinated.