The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) announced the country’s statistics for the diphtheria case.

NCDC confirmed 111 cases of diphtheria with 22 deaths between December 1, 2022, and the third week in January 2023.

The diphtheria situation report from the NCDC showed that Kano State has the highest burden of confirmed cases – 107, with 21 confirmed deaths.

Lagos State reported one confirmed case with one death; Yobe State with two confirmed cases with no death; and Osun State with one confirmed case with no death.

NCDC Director General Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa said: “Surveillance for diphtheria is still a challenge which we are working with the partners at the state level to improve. The first situation report published for diphtheria offers the correct data for suspected cases and confirmed cases.”

The NCDC report stated: “Between the first and third week of January, a total of 132 suspected cases were reported from two states: Kano, 130 (98.5 percent); Yobe, two (1.5 percent). Of the suspected cases reported, 89 (67.4 percent) were confirmed (clinically compatible), six (4.5 percent) were discarded, and 37 (28.0 percent) are pending classification.

“During the same period, confirmed cases were all from 12 local government areas of Kano State. Nine deaths were recorded from all the confirmed cases (CFR: 10.1 percent).

“Between December 1, 2022, and the third week in January, a total of 253 suspected cases were reported: Kano (169), Yobe (78), Lagos (five), and Osun (one).

“Of the suspected cases reported, 111 (42.1 percent) were confirmed (eight labs confirmed and 103 clinically compatible), 18 (7.1 percent) were discarded, 40 (15.3 percent) are pending cclassifclassified education(33.2 percent) were unknown.

“Majority (91.9 percent) of the confirmed cases occurred in those aged two to 14 years. A total of 22 deaths (CFR = 19.8 percent) were recorded among confirmed cases. Only 12 (10.8 percent) out of 111 confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a diphtheria toxin-containing vaccine.”

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