Diphtheria: Death toll rises to 13 in Kaduna State

Suspected outbreak of diphtheria in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State has claimed the lives of about 10 people.

Three children have also been killed and seven others hospitalised in Makarfi Local Government Area of the state.

In view of the development, the state government has sent emergency teams to investigate the suspected cases and take immediate action in the affected areas.

While confirming the effect of the disease in Makarfi Local Government Area, the Local Council’s Health Secretary, Malam Aliyu Alhassan, said the suspected cases occurred at Tashar Na Kawu community in Gubuchi Ward in the area.

He said: “Affected victims were children and the specimen of the victims was forwarded to Abuja for analysis. Those suspected with the disease have been taken to hospital and isolated for medical observation and contact tracing is going on to prevent further spread of the disease.”

Kaduna State government has already alerted citizens on the outbreak and directed the Ministry of Health to send an emergency team to investigate cases and take immediate action.

Muhammad Lawal Shehu, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Uba Sani, in a statement, stated that the state Ministry of Health had confirmed cases of diphtheria disease in some communities in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area.

Meanwhile, the Chief Epidemiologist, of Kaduna State Ministry of Health, Dr Jeremiah Daikwo, has lamented that some communities in the state were rejecting vaccine against anthrax that broke out in some states, a bacterial disease that affects domestic and wild animals and can infect human beings especially children who may have had contact with infected animals.

He said in an interview that their findings revealed that 17 people were infected and “we are still doing contact search to identify more people who may have been infected.”