The Kano State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to provide additional diphtheria vaccines to enable the state to conduct mass vaccination across the state.

The Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Muhammad Abbas, made the appeal while addressing a news conference on Tuesday night.

Abbas said the state had formally written to the Federal Government requesting more vaccines to strengthen its response to the outbreak.

The request followed reports of a diphtheria outbreak in Rano and other local government areas, with the Kano State House of Assembly raising concerns that more than 50 children had reportedly died from the disease.

The KNCDC director-general said the state was intensifying efforts to contain the outbreak and protect residents from further spread.

He stressed the importance of early reporting of suspected cases, urging residents to promptly seek medical attention whenever symptoms associated with diphtheria were observed.

Abbas said early detection and intervention remained critical to preventing complications and deaths from the disease.

The state government’s request for additional vaccines is expected to support a wider immunisation campaign targeting vulnerable residents across affected and high-risk communities.

The development comes as lawmakers and health authorities intensify calls for urgent measures to contain the outbreak and prevent further loss of lives.