LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Director General of Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Muhammad Nasir Mahmud, has said that about 520 children are suspected to have died as a result of the Diphtheria outbreak.
Dr. Mahmoud made this disclosure while speaking to journalists at a one-day media orientation on Diphtheria outbreak, supported by United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in Kano.
“There is data we generated through our digit Surveillance and reporting system. This year Kano reported about 8,700 suspected cases of Diphtheria and 6,300 confirmed, with about 520 children suspected to have died of this illness.
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“We tracked this on a daily and weekly basis, we believe the cases are much more than what we are getting, as we witness the increase of the cases from July”, he said.
Mahmud added that the cases were reported from 39 Local Government Area (LGA) out of 44 LGA in the state, while the cases worsened within the eight metropolitan LGAs.
The DG who described Diphtheria as a threat to child survival, health and well-being, said UNICEF is collaborating with the Government and partners to respond to the emergency to save the lives of the children affected.
According to him, this week, UNICEF delivered 1.2 million vaccines to the State Government to support response to the Diphtheria outbreaks.
