Kano Assembly Demands Urgent Intervention as Diphtheria Kills 50 Children

The Kano State House of Assembly has called on the state government to urgently intervene in a diphtheria outbreak that has reportedly killed more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area.

The call followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, during Monday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Ismail Falgore.

Muhammad said the outbreak was particularly severe in the Ridin and Sabuwar Qaura areas of Rano, where more than 50 children had reportedly died from the disease.

He said emergency measures had already been taken, including the purchase of medication and the deployment of health workers to affected communities. However, he warned that the response needed to be expanded to prevent further deaths and contain the spread of the infection.

The lawmaker urged Governor Abba Yusuf and the Commissioner for Health to provide additional emergency assistance to the affected areas.

“We want to inform the Governor and the Commissioner for Health to send further emergency aid to the region because the disease has spread heavily in that area,” Muhammad said.

He expressed concern that the outbreak had returned after a similar incident reportedly claimed several lives in the area last year.

Supporting the motion, the member representing Kiru Constituency, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, said the outbreak had spread beyond Rano into communities in Kiru Local Government Area.

He listed Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa among the affected communities.

Tasiu disclosed that an All Progressives Congress youth leader in Kiru had lost two children to the disease in one day, describing the situation as an urgent public health emergency.

He called for the creation of an emergency committee to coordinate the response in the affected areas and other communities considered at risk.

The proposed emergency response would cover Rano, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure, Bebeji and Kiru local government areas.

Another lawmaker, representing Dawakin Tofa Constituency, Saleh Ahmad, urged the state government to intensify vaccination and other preventive measures.

Ahmad warned that diphtheria is contagious and could spread rapidly from the affected communities to neighbouring areas if immediate measures were not taken.

The Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Husseini, called on the government to invoke the state’s Health Protection Law in response to the outbreak.

He said the law empowers the government to provide emergency relief and free healthcare, as well as isolate affected communities and restrict movement where necessary during outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The lawmaker said invoking the legislation would provide a legal framework for the state’s response and enable the government to mobilise resources for treatment, vaccination, surveillance and public awareness.

The Kano State House of Assembly subsequently approved the motion and directed its Committee on Health to engage the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the Health Protection Law and the provision of emergency relief to the affected communities.

The committee is expected to liaise with health officials on the scale of the outbreak, the needs of affected families and the measures required to prevent further transmission.

The lawmakers’ concerns highlight the need for timely disease confirmation, transparent reporting, vaccination, medical support and community-level public health education.

Until health authorities complete their assessment, the reported death toll remains the figure cited during the Assembly debate. However, the House’s resolution signals growing concern over the spread of the disease and the need for a coordinated emergency response across affected local government areas.