Diphtheria: Nigeria govt sets up emergency taskforce as outbreak spreads to 14 states
The Nigerian government has set up an emergency task force to mitigate the spread of diphtheria in the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, made this known in a statement issued by the ministry on Thursday.
Mr Pate said the primary objective of the task force is to operate in an emergency mode to prevent further spread of diphtheria to other states and provide relief to affected communities.
He said the team will also liaise with the governors of the states affected by diphtheria for counterpart funding, ownership, and mass mobilisation.
As of Thursday, diphtheria cases have been detected in 14 states, with Kano as the epicentre of the infection.
The 14 affected states are Lagos, Osun, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Zamfara, Jigawa, Plateau, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
