- Kano State has asked the Federal Government for more diphtheria vaccines
- The state says over 31,000 cases have been confirmed since 2022
- Health officials urged parents to report suspected cases early
The Kano State Government has appealed to the Federal Government for additional diphtheria vaccines to support a mass immunisation campaign across the state.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the Director-General of the Kano Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Muhammad Abbas, made the appeal during a news conference on Tuesday night following reports of a diphtheria outbreak in Rano and other parts of the state.
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The development came after the Kano State House of Assembly raised concerns that more than 50 children had reportedly died from the disease in Rano Local Government Area.
Abbas said the state had already contacted the Federal Government to request more vaccines to expand its immunisation efforts and protect vulnerable residents.
He also urged parents and other residents to report suspected cases to nearby health facilities as early as possible, stressing that prompt medical attention could significantly improve the chances of survival.
The KNCDC chief expressed concern that some suspected cases were not being reported to health authorities despite the state having 126 disease surveillance and notification officers covering all 44 local government areas.
He urged residents to seek medical attention whenever they noticed symptoms and allow health facilities to notify the appropriate authorities where cases appeared to be linked to an outbreak.
Abbas said the state had been monitoring diphtheria since the current administration took office under Governor Abba Yusuf.
He disclosed that more than 38,000 suspected cases had been recorded in Kano from 2022 to date, with over 31,000 subsequently confirmed.
According to him, more than 55 per cent of the confirmed cases involved children who had never received any diphtheria vaccination, while others were either partially immunised or had received their full vaccinations.
Abbas described the vaccination gap as a major concern and said health officials were working to establish the actual causes of deaths reported in Rano.
He explained that a team had been deployed to the area to investigate the reported fatalities, including conducting verbal autopsies where necessary to determine whether the deaths were caused by diphtheria or other illnesses.
The state health authorities said they would continue surveillance and response efforts while working with relevant partners to contain the disease.
The House of Assembly had on Monday urged Governor Yusuf to take urgent action over the reported outbreak in Rano.
The motion was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Ismail Falgore.
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