Diphtheria cases recorded in Kano involved 16,000 unvaccinated children — Official

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More than 16,000 children among over 32,000 confirmed diphtheria cases recorded in Kano State since 2022 had never received any vaccination against the disease, the Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Prof Muhammad Abbas, has disclosed.

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Abbas described the situation as a major public health crisis, warning that the large number of zero-dose children was increasing the risk of preventable diphtheria deaths across the state.

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“The disheartening thing is this: over 16,000, close to 17,000, are zero-dose children. That means these are children who have never been vaccinated at all. Zero. No vaccination,” he said.

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The KNCDC boss made the disclosure on Saturday while addressing journalists on the state’s response to diphtheria, amid controversy over reports of deaths allegedly linked to the disease in Rano Local Government Area.

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He said more than 39,000 suspected diphtheria cases had been investigated in Kano since December 2022, with over 32,000 confirmed through laboratory, clinical and epidemiological confirmation.

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“Among these over 39,000 of them, over 32,000 were confirmed diphtheria cases in Kano. Among this number, more than 1,800 were lost to this disease,” Abbas said.

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According to him, only about 9,000 of the confirmed patients were fully vaccinated, while others were either partially vaccinated or had no vaccination records.

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“It is a crisis in our own hands,” the director-general declared, stressing the need for stronger immunisation campaigns and greater public awareness.

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Abbas also warned that delayed presentation was contributing to severe outcomes, noting that diphtheria could devastate patients within a short period.

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“Diphtheria is an acute disease. Acute means a short-time presentation. It can devastate within a short time,” he said.

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The director-general said Kano had 26 designated diphtheria treatment facilities, comprising 13 secondary and 13 primary healthcare facilities, following efforts to decentralise treatment and improve access for patients outside the state capital.

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He said Kano previously accounted for more than 85 per cent of Nigeria’s diphtheria burden between 2022 and early 2023, but the situation had reduced significantly following sustained interventions and decentralisation of treatment services.

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“From 2022 to early 2023, Kano was having more than 85 per cent of all the national burden of diphtheria,” Abbas said.

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On the Rano controversy, Abbas said available surveillance data showed that the local government recorded 32 diphtheria cases between January and August 26, 2026, with seven referred to the isolation centre and 25 treated at the designated treatment centre. He said two of the 32 patients died.

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He said 94 per cent of the Rano patients had never received any form of vaccination, while 91 per cent presented late for treatment, urging residents to report suspected cases promptly and avoid harmful traditional practices that could worsen patients’ conditions.

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Abbas urged parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community members to support vaccination and early presentation at health facilities, stressing that timely reporting and immunisation remained critical to reducing diphtheria-related deaths in Kano.

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