29 children, not 50, died of diphtheria in Kano — Govt

The Kano State Government has dismissed reports that 50 children died from a diphtheria outbreak in Rano Local Government Area of the state.

The report, attributed to the member representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, alleged that diphtheria had claimed the lives of 50 children in the area.

However, the Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, KNCDC, Prof. Muhammad Adamu Abbas, described the claim as unverified and misleading.

Mr Abbas acknowledged that a diphtheria outbreak was ongoing in Rano and had resulted in fatalities, but said the figure of 50 deaths being circulated was not supported by the centre’s surveillance data.

According to him, available records showed that two deaths were recorded from diphtheria in Rano in 2026, while 29 deaths had been recorded cumulatively between July 2023 and August 2026.

He said the KNCDC had recorded 32 diphtheria cases in Rano during the period under review.

Of the 32 patients, 25 were treated at the Diphtheria Treatment Centre at Rano General Hospital, while the remaining seven received treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Kano.

The KNCDC boss said 94 per cent of those affected had not been vaccinated against diphtheria, while 91 per cent presented late for treatment.

He expressed concern over delays in reporting suspected cases to health facilities, stressing that early detection and prompt treatment were critical to containing the spread of the disease and reducing fatalities.

Mr Abbas also criticised the lawmaker for allegedly making unverified claims without first consulting relevant health authorities, including the Kano State Ministry of Health and the KNCDC.

He said the lawmaker had made similar unverified claims in October 2025, warning that such statements could mislead the public and undermine ongoing disease surveillance and outbreak-response efforts.

According to him, the KNCDC had deployed a team to communities identified by the lawmaker as being affected by the outbreak to verify the reported deaths.

He said the team had so far been unable to substantiate the claim despite engaging with residents in the affected communities.

The director-general questioned how 50 deaths could have occurred without being reported through the state’s established community and disease surveillance structures.

He listed the structures as traditional institutions, Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, Ward Focal Persons, Community Informants, Community Mobilisers, Surveillance Focal Persons and Field Volunteers.

“These structures provide regular reports to the KNCDC and other health partners as part of the state’s disease surveillance system,” he said.

Prof. Abbas said the centre had also made efforts to meet with the lawmaker to obtain first-hand information concerning the alleged deaths and determine whether he had been misinformed or could provide information that would enable health officials to locate the families of the alleged victims.

He said such information would allow the centre to conduct further investigations, including verbal autopsies where necessary, to establish the actual causes of the reported deaths.

However, he said efforts to establish contact with the lawmaker had so far been unsuccessful.

The KNCDC director-general urged members of the public and political leaders to rely on verified information from relevant health authorities when reporting disease outbreaks.

He said accurate information was essential to ensuring effective disease surveillance, mobilising communities for vaccination and treatment, and preventing unnecessary panic.

Prof. Abbas, however, commended the Kano State and Federal Governments for their continued support for disease surveillance and outbreak-response activities.

He reaffirmed the KNCDC’s commitment to strengthening disease surveillance, ensuring rapid response and working with relevant stakeholders to prevent and control disease outbreaks across the state.