Diphtheria outbreak: Death toll rises to 520 in Kano
The Director General, Kano State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Mahmud Nasir Muhammad, has said no fewer that 520 children have been killed by the deadly diphtheria outbreak.
Besides, Muhammad revealed that 8,700 suspected cases were reported, of which more than 8,000 cases were confirmed as at end of August 2023.
He disclosed that UNICEF is therefore collaborating with government and partners to respond to the emergency to save lives of children affected.
The chief of UNICEF Kano Field Office added that the Kano field office supported the Diphtheria Response since the first case of the Diphtheria disease in December 2022, UNICEF has been working with government and partners to respond to the emergency.
UNICEF has been and continues to support the diphtheria response in Nigeria, focusing on providing technical and financial support to the government in all affected states, including Kano state, to implement the Diphtheria outbreak response.
He added that the outbreak needs to be urgently stopped, controlled, and prevented from spreading.
Last week, UNICEF delivered 1.2 million vaccines to the Kano State government in our continuing support to the government for a response to the Diphtheria outbreak, a highly contagious, infectious disease that can cause death.
He called on the federal government and partners to do something urgent for speed and effective control.
Earlier, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Rahama R Mohammed Farah, described diphtheria as a current outbreak which is a threat to child survival, health, and the well-being of children.
Farah noted it is very important to understand that the analysis of the vaccination status of the suspected cases shows that 60.8% of all suspected cases are children who were not vaccinated.
