The Kano State Government has established three treatment centres as the number of diphtheria cases in the state has surpassed 130.
Dr. Abubakar Yusuf, the state Commissioner for Health, announced this on Thursday, saying the state had put in place the necessary mechanisms to stop the spread of the disease.
He revealed that over 130 people were admitted just last Monday as the case continued to grow.
Giving an update on the disease outbreak, Yusuf lamented that a state like Kano should not be dealing with such an outbreak but of the previous administration’s failure to immunise the people.
“Governor Abba Yusuf has since directed the ministry to swing into action to prevent the spread of the deadly disease,” he said. Three designated treatment and admission centres have been established.
“The general public should not be afraid to seek medical attention if they experience any of the symptoms listed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.”
Similarly, in Kwara State, Dr Nusirat Elelu, Executive Secretary of the state’s Healthcare Development Agency, announced on Thursday that the state had expanded immunisation of children and infants to 388 healthcare facilities in the state to protect against diphtheria and other childhood diseases such as poliomyelitis.
Speaking on the level of turnout in the state, she said, “We have extended our immunisation to 388 facilities covering the 194 wards in the 16 local government councils of Kwara State.
“We are not limiting the immunisation to diphtheria alone; we are also covering poliomyelitis and other diseases that can affect children in infancy.”
The Gombe State Epidemiologist, Dr. Bile Nuhu, said that the state was taking proactive measures against diphtheria, though the state had not recorded a case since the outbreak of the disease in parts of the country.
Nuhu said, “Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease. It’s captured in the routine vaccines for children younger than nine months. If children have that one, they are protected. Now the issue is that we have diphtheria, which affects children from two to 14 years old. The routine immunisation only covers those younger than one year. The efforts at the federal level between the NCDC and NPHCDA are to see how they can expand it so that it can cover the other ones.”
Meanwhile, our correspondent in Abuja reported on Thursday that there was a low turnout for the diphtheria vaccine in the Federal Capital Territory, three weeks after the outbreak and vaccination for children was announced.
Dr Sadiq Abdulrahman, FCT Director of Public Health, announced the outbreak of the disease on July 3, noting that a four-year-old had already died in Abuja.
The outbreaks in Lagos, Ondo, and Kano states in January prompted the NDDC to launch a national response.
Checks by our correspondent at several hospitals in the FCT showed that only a small number of parents visited the hospitals to have their children vaccinated.
Only about five parents were present with their children under the age of seven at the Garki District Hospital to receive the vaccine, according to our correspondent.
The immunisation unit is doctor-in-charge, who only went by Dr John, explained that the numbers were low because it was not their immunisation day, which he said was usually on Fridays.
Mrs Tsevende Jennifer, the officer-in-charge at the Wuse District Hospital in Wuse Zone 4, told our correspondent, “We have a drop in attendance now because of this fuel subsidy.” But, on average, we vaccinate 15 to 25 children every day, Monday through Friday.”
Dr. Omolola Adeagbo, the Osun State Epidemiologist, told one of our correspondents that nursing mothers had been flocking to the state to get the infant vaccine.
Adeagbo attributed the higher turnout to a diphtheria awareness campaign.
Meanwhile, Prof. Adekunle Olowe, Group Leader, Bacteriology Unit, Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Disease, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola, and the University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has called on government at all levels to intensify public awareness of diphtheria to prevent further spread of the disease.
In an interview, Olowe said the increasing spread of the disease should be of concern to the government and called for an aggressive awareness campaign, especially in rural areas for people to become familiar with the symptoms of diphtheria
“Many residents who are illiterate don’t know about this disease yet. The government should focus more on awareness, especially in rural areas. So far, Osun has recorded two cases, one of which ended in death while the other recovered. There are states with higher cases,” the don said.
