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Diphtheria Outbreak Kills Over 50 Children in Nigeria's Kano State
(MENAFN) More than 50 children have died in a diphtheria outbreak sweeping through the Rano Local Government Area of Kano state in northwestern Nigeria, a state lawmaker revealed Tuesday, calling on officials to intensify the emergency response.
Ibrahim Malami, who represents Rano Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, sounded the alarm during a motion of urgent public importance, telling colleagues the outbreak has hit communities across Rurum Ward particularly hard — including Rurum A, Rurum B and Sabuwar Kaura.
According to Malami, the local government's medical department has already rolled out emergency containment measures, and his own office has contributed medicines to bolster the effort.
He pressed Kano Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf and the state's health authorities to rush additional medical staff, medications and emergency resources to the hardest-hit communities.
"We want to inform the Governor and the Commissioner for Health to send further emergency aid to the region because the disease has spread heavily in that area," Malami said.
The crisis is not confined to Rano, according to Usman Abubakar Tasiu, another lawmaker representing Kiru Constituency, who warned that infections have also surfaced in the neighboring Kiru Local Government Area — specifically in the Kwanar Dangora, Garin Dangora and Yelwa communities.
In response, the state Assembly passed a resolution demanding immediate government action and directed its health committee to work alongside the state Health Ministry to ensure emergency measures reach the affected areas without delay.
Diphtheria, a fast-spreading bacterial infection, poses a particular danger to unvaccinated children and can prove fatal if untreated. Nigeria's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention urges parents to complete the full three-dose pentavalent vaccine schedule — administered at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age — which guards against the disease.
The outbreak is the latest in a string of diphtheria flare-ups to hit Nigeria in recent years, with Kano repeatedly among the states bearing the heaviest burden. The World Health Organization reported that Kano accounted for the bulk of suspected cases during a major outbreak that swept the country in 2023.
The rising death toll highlights persistent gaps in vaccination coverage, disease monitoring and access to prompt treatment as authorities in Nigeria race to bring the outbreak under control.
Ibrahim Malami, who represents Rano Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, sounded the alarm during a motion of urgent public importance, telling colleagues the outbreak has hit communities across Rurum Ward particularly hard — including Rurum A, Rurum B and Sabuwar Kaura.
According to Malami, the local government's medical department has already rolled out emergency containment measures, and his own office has contributed medicines to bolster the effort.
He pressed Kano Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf and the state's health authorities to rush additional medical staff, medications and emergency resources to the hardest-hit communities.
"We want to inform the Governor and the Commissioner for Health to send further emergency aid to the region because the disease has spread heavily in that area," Malami said.
The crisis is not confined to Rano, according to Usman Abubakar Tasiu, another lawmaker representing Kiru Constituency, who warned that infections have also surfaced in the neighboring Kiru Local Government Area — specifically in the Kwanar Dangora, Garin Dangora and Yelwa communities.
In response, the state Assembly passed a resolution demanding immediate government action and directed its health committee to work alongside the state Health Ministry to ensure emergency measures reach the affected areas without delay.
Diphtheria, a fast-spreading bacterial infection, poses a particular danger to unvaccinated children and can prove fatal if untreated. Nigeria's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention urges parents to complete the full three-dose pentavalent vaccine schedule — administered at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age — which guards against the disease.
The outbreak is the latest in a string of diphtheria flare-ups to hit Nigeria in recent years, with Kano repeatedly among the states bearing the heaviest burden. The World Health Organization reported that Kano accounted for the bulk of suspected cases during a major outbreak that swept the country in 2023.
The rising death toll highlights persistent gaps in vaccination coverage, disease monitoring and access to prompt treatment as authorities in Nigeria race to bring the outbreak under control.
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