The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said that the death toll from Diphtheria disease across the country has reached 34, as Kano State registered 100 cases.
The NCDC, via its official website on Sunday, said that the deaths were between December 2022 and early January 2023; they were also from Lagos, Kano, Yobe and Osun, and had reported cases of the disease, with Kano State alone, registering 25 deaths.
The agency also blamed the increase in the infection and resurgence on the low vaccination coverage across the country.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease that was common decades ago.
Due to the effectiveness of childhood vaccination programmes, most people have forgotten what diphtheria looks like.
“The fact that we are having a resurgence of diphtheria now suggests that there have been critical reductions in vaccination coverage among pockets of our population.
“ This reduced level of population immunity has given rise to the cases that we are seeing,” it said.
Meanwhile, the identified cases of diphtheria in Kano have risen from 25 to 100 in less than two weeks.
Three persons in 13 local government areas of the state have died.
The local government areas where the diseases are ravaging include Ungogo, Nassarawa, Bichi, Dala, Dawakin Kudu, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Kumbotso, Rano, Dawakin Tofa and Gwarzo.
Diphtheria is defined as an acute toxic infection caused by the corynebacterium species, transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets and contact with contaminated clothing and objects.
Symptoms range from mild to severe fever, cough, sneezing, sore throat, neck swelling, and difficulty in breathing.
Complications may include damage to the heart and kidney, and bleeding with death in up to 21 per cent of cases.
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, and its antigens are among the pentatonic vaccine (PETA) taken three times (PENTA-3) before the age of one year.
Meanwhile, experts have said that most of the patients are not being fully vaccinated, and those vaccinated are resisting being protected.
Source:
Pmnews Nigeria https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2023/01/22/diphtheria-deaths-hit-34-as-kano-state-registers-100-infections/
