Nigeria is recovering from an intense outbreak of an infectious disease that has claimed the lives of more than six hundred people, mostly children. This African country suffered the diphtheria outbreak in December 2022. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had issued an alert on December 1, 2022 in two of Nigeria’s most populous primary states, Kano and Lagos. The only solution to contagious diphtheria is vaccination.
Kano State in Nigeria has recorded more than 500 deaths. Diphtheria, the disease that attacks the nose and throat of the human body and spreads through physical contact, coughing and sneezing without precautions, has been reported to be preventative if other people arrive at the hospital on the same day. time.
The condition returned in June of this year. According to the NCDC, as of the end of the month, there had been 798 confirmed cases in the states of Kano, Lagos, Yobe, Katsina, Cross River, Kaduna and Osun, as well as the Federal Capital Territory. Approximately 70% of the cases occurred in children aged 2 to 14 years. The disease killed another 80 people in June, most of whom were from Kano, 782 out of a total of 798.
In September, the situation worsened again, with 453 deaths and 11,587 suspected cases. Currently, the outbreak has affected 19 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
Dr. Faisal Shuaib, director of the National Agency for the Development of Primary Health Care, highlighted prevention measures such as vaccination and tactile tracing. Health officials urge parents of young people who are fully or fully vaccinated to get them vaccinated, arguing that this is the most effective technique to prevent the outbreak.
In a July report by NCDC Director General Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, it was reported that “despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine in the country, 654 (82%) of the 798 cases that showed cases of diphtheria in this ongoing outbreak were unvaccinated. “. . Unfortunately, this also includes this recently announced FCT case.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 57% of Nigerians have obtained the vaccine, which provides coverage against five serious diseases, including diphtheria. To prevent diphtheria outbreaks in the long term, Nigeria wants to increase vaccination rates so that at least 80% of the population is protected.