Diphtheria Outbreak Spreads to 29 Katsina LGAs as Kano Confirms Two More Deaths

A diphtheria outbreak has spread to 29 of Katsina State's 34 local government areas, health authorities disclosed on Sunday, even as neighbouring Kano State confirmed two additional deaths linked to the disease in Rano Local Government Area.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), Dr Shema'u Kabir, disclosed the figures at a press briefing in Katsina, revealing that as of Epidemiological Week 35, ending August 28, suspected diphtheria cases had been reported across the 29 affected local government areas. She identified Funtua as the worst-hit area, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi, and Daura local government areas.

Describing diphtheria as a serious but preventable infectious disease that primarily affects the respiratory system and spreads easily from person to person, Kabir said the state government had activated a range of emergency measures aimed at halting further transmission and reducing severe illness and deaths. According to the agency, the state has so far vaccinated 67,670 eligible persons and secured an additional 650,000 vaccine doses to help bring the outbreak under control.

Officials disclosed that a reactive vaccination campaign has specifically targeted 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi, and Kankia local government areas, with more than 67,000 people vaccinated using Td vaccines and over 24,000 children immunised with the Pentavalent vaccine within a three-day window. To manage the surge in patients, the state has also established three new isolation centres, in addition to an existing NCDC-supported isolation facility already operating at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina (FTH Katsina).

Despite these interventions, reports from the ground suggest mounting pressure on healthcare facilities in affected areas. Overcrowded wards and reported shortages of vaccines at some facilities have heightened fears among residents in affected communities, with residents calling on the Federal Government to urgently ensure that announced vaccine doses reach Katsina and are administered swiftly to children and other vulnerable populations in high-risk areas. Residents have also called for additional emergency support to health facilities, including isolation spaces, medical supplies, oxygen, and other life-support equipment needed to manage severe cases.

The human toll of the outbreak has already been felt directly by affected families. In Jos, Plateau State, a grandmother, Fatimatu Abdullahi, narrated how she lost two grandchildren, 14-year-old Umar Muktar and 17-year-old Hauwa Shafi'u, to the disease within the space of one week. According to her account, the children's illness was not immediately identified, as neither was taken to a specialised hospital until it was too late.

In Kano State, the outbreak has similarly drawn urgent government attention following the confirmation of two diphtheria-related deaths in Rano Local Government Area by the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC). That announcement followed earlier, unverified reports suggesting a considerably higher number of child deaths linked to the outbreak in the state. In response, the Kano State Government has intensified community-level search efforts for suspected cases in the worst-affected areas of Rano.

At the federal level, the Federal Government has deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines to Katsina and Kano States as part of a coordinated response to the outbreak. The intervention includes the activation of a multi-agency emergency task force tasked with strengthening disease surveillance, closing immunisation gaps, expanding access to treatment, and coordinating the overall response across affected communities. The task force's membership includes representatives of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the health commissioners of Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, and Sokoto states, the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and other relevant health agencies. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the task force will provide weekly updates on the outbreak's progression, ongoing response efforts, and any emerging challenges.

Diphtheria remains a vaccine-preventable disease that has repeatedly resurfaced in parts of Nigeria in recent years, with previous outbreaks disproportionately affecting states in the country's North with historically low routine immunisation coverage. Health experts have consistently stressed that early detection, prompt treatment with diphtheria antitoxin, and expanded vaccination coverage remain the most effective tools for containing outbreaks and reducing fatalities, particularly among children, who continue to bear the heaviest burden of the disease in affected communities.

With cases now confirmed or suspected across dozens of local government areas spanning multiple states, health authorities face mounting pressure to accelerate vaccine distribution and strengthen surveillance before the outbreak spreads further, as affected communities continue to grapple with the immediate strain on local health facilities and the emotional toll of the ongoing crisis.