OVER 16,000 ZERO-DOSE CHILDREN AMONG 32,000 CONFIRMED DIPHTHERIA CASES IN KANO
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
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.
Abbas described the development as a major public health crisis, warning that the high number of unvaccinated children was increasing the risk of preventable deaths from diphtheria across the state.
The KNCDC boss disclosed this on Saturday while briefing journalists on the state’s response to the disease amid controversy over reported diphtheria-related deaths in Rano Local Government Area.
According to him, more than 39,000 suspected diphtheria cases had been investigated in Kano since December 2022, with over 32,000 eventually confirmed through laboratory, clinical and epidemiological assessments.
He said more than 1,800 people had died from the disease among the confirmed cases.
“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,” Abbas said.
He explained that only about 9,000 of the confirmed patients were fully vaccinated, while the remaining patients were either partially vaccinated or had no vaccination records.
“It is a crisis in our own hands,” the director-general declared, stressing the need for intensified immunisation campaigns and increased public awareness.
Abbas also identified delayed presentation for treatment as another major factor contributing to severe outcomes, warning that diphtheria could rapidly become life-threatening.
“Diphtheria is an acute disease. Acute means a short-time presentation. It can devastate within a short time,” he said.
To improve access to treatment, the state currently has 26 designated diphtheria treatment facilities comprising 13 secondary and 13 primary healthcare centres.
The decentralisation of treatment, Abbas said, had contributed to a significant reduction in Kano’s share of the national diphtheria burden.
He recalled that Kano accounted for more than 85 per cent of Nigeria’s diphtheria cases between 2022 and early 2023.
“From 2022 to early 2023, Kano was having more than 85 per cent of all the national burden of diphtheria,” he said.
On the controversy surrounding reported diphtheria deaths in Rano, Abbas said surveillance data showed that the local government recorded 32 cases between January and August 26, 2026.
He said seven of the patients were referred to the isolation centre, while 25 were treated at the designated treatment centre, adding that two of the 32 patients died.
According to him, 94 per cent of the affected patients in Rano had never received any vaccination against diphtheria, while 91 per cent presented late for treatment.
The KNCDC boss urged residents to promptly report suspected cases and seek medical attention, warning against harmful traditional practices that could worsen the condition of patients.
He called on parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community members to support routine immunisation and encourage early presentation at health facilities.
Abbas stressed that increased vaccination coverage, early detection and prompt treatment remained critical to reducing diphtheria-related deaths in Kano State.
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