Diphtheria claims 122 lives in Nigeria– UNICEF

According to a spokesman, the worst affected states, which account for 98% of the suspected cases, are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the diphtheria outbreak has killed 122 people in 27 states of Nigeria, with a case fatality rate of 8.7%.

According to the UN organisation, 3,850 suspected cases of diphtheria were reported in the nation as of July 2023, with 1,387 of those cases being identified as such.

The majority of those affected by the disease were youngsters, according to a statement made to journalists in Katsina on Thursday by UNICEF's representative in Nigeria, Ms. Cristian Munduate.

The worst affected states, which account for 98% of suspected cases, according to her, are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara. She also noted that 71.5% of the cases included children between the ages of two and 14 years.

She said: “UNICEF Nigeria is amplifying its efforts to counter a growing outbreak of diphtheria that has affected children in 27 states. As of July 2023, 3,850 suspected cases were reported with 1,387 confirmed as diphtheria. The disease has tragically claimed 122 lives, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 8.7 per cent.

“The outbreak has affected mainly Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara, which account for 98.0 per cent of the suspected cases. Most confirmed cases, approximately 71.5 per cent, have occurred among children aged 2 – 14 years.”

He emphasised that the majority of affected children, notably those who died, had not gotten even a single dosage of the vaccine, adding that it has never been more important for the nation to reach the unreached.

However, Munduate pointed out that only 22% of the identified cases had received their regular childhood vaccines, describing the situation as tragic.

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