The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) says no fewer than 1,191 people have died from diphtheria since May 2023 to date across Nigeria.
NCDC National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Center Incident Manager, Muzzammil Gadanya, disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for the diphtheria outbreak.
He said the country recorded suspected cases of more than 38,000 people, while the number of confirmed cases was 23,000.
Gadanya said the main objective of the review meeting was to assess Nigeria's current response mechanisms and strengthen coordination efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.
However, he said there was a significant reduction in diphtheria cases nationwide.
Gadany said vaccines were available for routine immunization and emphasized the need to continue efforts to maintain progress in containing the disease.
Also speaking, Manir Jega, director of healthcare at the Nigerian Red Cross, said his agency serves as an auxiliary to the government.
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He said: “Since the diphtheria outbreak, we have supported the government by sending 3,700 community volunteers, who also participated in house-to-house awareness raising.
“We also raise awareness among the population through roadshows, educating them about the symptoms and systems of the disease.”
The news agency reports that stakeholders came together at the meeting to evaluate current strategies in fighting the outbreak and identify areas that require further improvements.
Key participants included the Red Cross, the International Federation of the Red Cross, the International Federation and representatives of subnational bodies.
They shared their experiences in managing diphtheria cases and provided updates on state-level responses.
Officials highlighted the need for greater public awareness about vaccination and the importance of active case finding.
The discussions and ideas from the review meeting are expected to play a crucial role in further mitigating the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria.
Key recommendations were made, including expanding vaccination efforts, increasing public awareness initiatives, and implementing active contact tracing in affected areas.
This was done in the hope that these actions would play a crucial role in reducing the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria and strengthening the country's capacity to respond to future outbreaks.
(YAYA)