Death Toll From Diphtheria Rises To 35, As Suspected Cases Hits 123

Death toll from Diphtheria has risen to 35, as at last Saturday, as the disease continued, to spread in Nigeria

Also, the suspected cases, including confirmed cases has risen to 123.

Head of the Special Projects and Partnership Unit of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Priscilla Ibekwe, announced this on Monday, during the ministerial update on COVID response in Abuja.

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According to her, Kano State remains the epicenter of the disease, with 100 suspected cases and 32 deaths, followed by Yobe with three deaths and 17 cases.

Also, five suspected cases were posted in Lagos with three deaths, as well as Osun States with one suspected case with no death.

Ibekwe added that the NCDC is working with state ministries of health and partners to enhance surveillance and response to the outbreak.

The agency also said given the sub-optimal coverage for the third dose of the diphtheria vaccine in the country, “we expect more cases from more states”.

“In view of this, we have deployed rapid response team members to support state response, collaborated with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to organise a five-day workshop on enhancing laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria in Nigeria for laboratory scientists working in NCDC’s national reference laboratories and its lab network,” Ibekwe said.