At least three children have died and six others have been infected following a suspected diphtheria outbreak in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Dr Bello Jamoh, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, confirmed that the outbreak has persisted for the past ten months, beginning in October 2024.
He stated that the Kaduna State Ministry of Health is leading the response to the outbreak, with the support of relevant partners and stakeholders.
Dr Jamoh added that a team of medical experts would be deployed to enhance efforts in containing the spread and to provide necessary medical assistance.
Meanwhile, Malam Bashir-Magaji Basharata, a resident of the Kwarbai area in Zaria who lost his daughter to the suspected outbreak, expressed concern over the rapid spread of the disease.
According to him, his daughter developed a swollen neck and experienced difficulty breathing and speaking before she was rushed to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika. Despite receiving emergency care, she sadly passed away.
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Shortly after her death, three more children in the area began to exhibit similar symptoms.
“I immediately informed the local council’s health department, which responded by sending a team of vaccinators to the area,” Basharata said.
He added that two children from a neighbouring household, along with another girl from a nearby street, had also been affected.
He further reported that four children exhibiting diphtheria-like symptoms were admitted to the Kakaki Primary Healthcare Clinic near Kwarbai. As of his most recent visit, only one of the children had been discharged.
Basharata raised serious concerns about the unavailability of diphtheria vaccines throughout Kaduna State, noting that the visiting medical team indicated they had sourced vaccines from neighbouring Niger State.
