Kano Seeks More Diphtheria Vaccines as Child Deaths Spark Fresh Alarm

(Kano Assembly. Photo by TheCable)

Kano State is asking the Federal Government to send more diphtheria vaccines so the state can run a mass vaccination program.

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control director made the appeal after the state reported an outbreak in Rano and other local government areas that reportedly killed more than 50 children.

The director urged parents to report cases quickly to health facilities for prompt treatment, saying early action saves lives.

He expressed concern that some cases weren’t being reported to hospitals at all, despite having 126 disease surveillance officers across the state’s 44 local government areas.

Since the current administration took over, the state has recorded over 38,000 diphtheria cases, with more than 31,000 confirmed.

The director said the problem is severe because more than 55 percent of cases involved children who had received no vaccines at all.

Another 16 percent had partial vaccination while only a few were fully immunised.

Investigators are in Rano conducting verbal autopsies, interviewing parents to determine whether deaths were actually from diphtheria or other diseases.

The state assembly called on the governor on Monday to urgently address the outbreak in Rano, which had reportedly claimed over 50 children’s lives.