NCDC
NCDC: Diphtheria spikes, claims 1,191 lives in Nigeria over 17 months
Diphtheria has claimed at least 1,191 lives in Nigeria from May 2023 to date.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) gave the statistics, stating that this highlights the severe impact of the infection on public health.
The NCDC called for prompt and increased vaccination efforts and heightened awareness about the disease.
Dr. Muzzammil Gadanya, the Incident Manager at the National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre, disclosed these figures during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for the diphtheria outbreak held in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Dr Gadanya said, “the country has recorded over 38,000 suspected cases of diphtheria, with 23,000 confirmed cases,” adding that the primary aim of the review was to evaluate Nigeria’s current response mechanisms and strengthen coordination efforts to prevent the further spread of the disease.
According to him, vaccines were available for routine immunization and there is the need for continued efforts to sustain progress in containing the disease.
Also, Dr. Manir Jega, Director of Healthcare at the Nigeria Red Cross, stated that their organization has played a vital role as an auxiliary to the government.
“Since the outbreak, we have deployed 3,700 community-based volunteers who engage in house-to-house sensitization,” Jega revealed. “We also conducted roadshows to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of the disease,” he said.
Stakeholders at the meeting assessed current strategies and identified areas for improvement in combating the outbreak. Key participants included representatives from the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), and various sub-national bodies.
They shared valuable experiences in managing diphtheria cases and provided updates on state-level responses.
Officials stressed the critical need for heightened public awareness about vaccination and active case-finding initiatives. The insights and discussions from the review meeting are expected to significantly contribute to further mitigating the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria.