The Ministry of Health says 171 local government areas in 14 states in the country are at high risk of further spreading the diphtheria outbreak.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olufunsho Adebiyi, explained that the 171 LGAs included all the 144 local government areas in Kano, Katsina, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Yobe, Kaduna, and Bauchi states.

Other states are Gombe, Jigawa, Borno, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Zamfara, which have 20 contagious local government areas, as well as seven local government areas in Lagos and Osun states.

According to him, “Available real-time surveillance data showed active diphtheria outbreaks in 25 LGAs in Bauchi, Katsina, Yobe, and Kaduna states.”

He explained that the ministry, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), states, and partners, was mobilizing all the necessary resources to respond effectively to the outbreak.

He said that a comprehensive response plan has been activated to ensure early detection and containment of cases as well as prevent further transmission through a multi-phased response strategy.

According to him, the partnership aimed at intensifying mass vaccination of the identified populations at risk to curb the ongoing diphtheria outbreak in two phases, saying that diphtheria affects people of all ages, especially children who are unvaccinated against the disease.

This disease is characterized by signs and symptoms that include fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, neck swelling, and difficulty breathing.

If left untreated, he explained that the signs and symptoms could eventually lead to death, and the risk of death is higher in partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children.