Diphtheria is a bacterial infection of the throat and upper airways that can result in heart failure, breathing problems, and even death.
As of March 2, 2023, 61 people had died as a result of a fatal diphtheria infection outbreak in Kano State.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection of the throat and upper airways that can result in heart failure, breathing problems, and even death. Coughing and sneezing are the two easiest ways to spread the illness, which is highly contagious.
The case manager for Kano State, Dr. Salma Suwaid, revealed the startling statistics during a webinar with the title “Diptheria epidemic in Nigeria: Vaccination Response” that was put on by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Speaking during the event, Dr. Suwaid disclosed that a total of 783 patients—360 women and 423 men—have been admitted to the hospital thus far. To stop the disease’s spread, she underlined the urgent necessity for vaccination responses.
“In order to prevent this pandemic from taking additional lives, we must act quickly and efficiently. The strongest defence against diphtheria is vaccination, and we must make sure that everyone receives it, especially youngsters, he said.
“Low vaccination rates in the impacted populations are a major contributing factor to the outbreak. Many people are susceptible to infection because they lack the proper vaccines.
According to Dr. Suwaid, inadequate vaccination rates were most likely to blame for the outbreak in Kano State.
The government has been urged by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to give vaccination campaigns top priority in order to stop the disease from spreading.
It is crucial to act quickly to stop the spread of this terrible disease as the death toll keeps rising. To ensure that its inhabitants’ health and welfare are protected, the government must give immunisation programmes top priority.
