- Safiu Kehinde
No fewer than 1,191 persons have been killed by diphtheria from May, 2023 to date, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reveals.
Dr Muzzammil Gadanya, the Incident Manager, National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre (NCDC), disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for Diphtheria outbreak.
According to Gadanya, Nigeria recorded suspected cases of more than 38,000 persons while the number of confirmed cases stood at 23,000.
He said the primary focus of the review meeting was to assess Nigeria’s current response mechanisms and strengthen coordination efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.
He, however, noted that there was a significant reduction in diphtheria cases nationwide .
Gadanya further disclosed that vaccines were available for routine immunisation,
emphasising the need for continued efforts to sustain progress in containing the disease.
Also speaking, Dr Manir Jega, the Director, Healthcare . Nigeria Red Cross, said they serve as an auxiliary to the government.
He said, ”Since the outbreak of diphtheria , we have supported the government by sending 3,700 community-based volunteers, who also engaged in house to house sensitisation.
“We also sensitised the populace by road shows, educating them on the signs and systems of the disease.”
According to reports, the stakeholders gathered at the meeting to evaluate the current strategies in combating the outbreak and to identify areas that require further improvement.
The key participants included the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross, IFRC and representatives from the sub-national bodies.
They shared their experiences in managing diphtheria cases and provided updates on state-level responses.
The officials highlighted the need for increased public awareness about vaccination and the importance of active case-finding.
It is hoped that the discussions and insights from the review meeting will play a crucial role in further mitigating the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria.
Key recommendations, including expanding vaccination efforts, increasing public awareness initiatives, and implementing active contact tracing in affected areas, were made.
This was with the hope that these actions will play a crucial role in reducing the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria and strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to future outbreaks.