The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, has disclosed that Kaduna State recorded 156 cases of dipheteria outbreak and 20 deaths.
Dr Shuaib made the disclosure on Wednesday when he led the Dipheteria National Task Team to the Kaduna Diphtheria Treatment Centre at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital.
“Since March 2023 when the outbreak were first detected here in Kaduna, they have seen 156 cases and about 20 deaths so far, which is high for dipheteria.
“But we also recognise that some of the patients are presenting lately and this is where it is important that the media also step up to increase awareness, to provide information to community members about the existence of this outbreak and the need for patients to present early to health facility so that they can get medication that are required.
“lt is very clear that this is a preventable disease. If we look at the data, we will see that over 80 per cent of those that were afflicted by this disease now get dipheteria vaccine.
“We are seeing this outbreak because of low population immunity, that has been brought on by low vaccination coverage and when you look at the discrepancies in terms of current outbreak even within Kaduna you will find out that those LGAs that have higher coverages tend to have lower cases of the disease.
“This again points to the fact that vaccines are the most powerful tool that can be used against this vaccine preventable diseases.”
The Executive Director commended the efforts of the Kaduna State government and other frontline health workers in ensuring elimination of the outbreak.
“We see the work that the State government is doing and we encourage that apart from the vaccination that people should use facemasks especially when they visit health facilities like this. And when you live in LGA where the cases are rising, it is very important that we recognise that this is an air borne disease and just like we did during the Covid-19, we should use face mask and we should cough and sneeze into our elbows.
“We also recognise that there are communities that we have to improve on our case finding, when you look at the data from the couple of weeks, we see there is a downward trend but again I want to emphasise that we are not out of the wood yet.
“We have to continue to work hard with the frontline health workers, making sure that PHC workers are working very hard in ensuring that they go to communities, engage with community members,” he added.
He commended the Northern traditional leaders on their efforts in ensuring that dipheteria and polio were eradicated.
Also speaking, the chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital (BDTH), Dr Shu’aibu Musa, noted that the disease affects mostly children between 5 to 14 years old.
“It usually affects children between 5 to 14 years, however, every person whose immunity is low can also be infected, we have seen adults that get infected and even died,” he said.
He advised residents of Kaduna State to practice personal hygiene in order not to be infected by the disease.