Eight states account for 98% of confirmed diphtheria cases in Nigeria, with about 68% of those infected unvaccinated, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Michael Okali, principal health communication officer in the NCDC’s Department of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, disclosed the figures Saturday.
The affected states are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara.
Okali said Nigeria recorded 69 suspected cases, 48 confirmed cases and four deaths between Aug. 24 and Aug. 30.
He said the NCDC, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Federal Ministry of Health, was supporting affected states with surveillance, contact tracing, case management, laboratory testing and vaccines.
Okali said 500 doses of vaccine had been sent to Kano and Katsina, with efforts underway to strengthen the national stockpile and ensure primary health centers have adequate supplies.
He said a diphtheria task force, co-chaired by NCDC Director-General Jide Idris and officials of the NPHCDA and Health Ministry, was working with the Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre, which has been active since 2022.
The development comes amid growing concerns over outbreaks in several states.
In Plateau State, authorities reported 143 suspected cases and 23 deaths over the past two weeks. The state government has ordered the temporary closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools from Sept. 7 as part of measures to contain the outbreak.
Katsina State has also reported a worsening outbreak, with the disease affecting 30 of the state's 34 local government areas. Health authorities said 32 patients were receiving treatment across four isolation centers and attributed the state's rising case fatality rate, currently about 5.6%, partly to delayed presentation at health facilities.
In Kano, the state disease control agency said more than 30,000 diphtheria cases have been recorded across the state's 44 local government areas, with 1,744 deaths reported.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection caused by *Corynebacterium* that can affect the nose, throat, tonsils and larynx. Severe cases can damage the heart, nerves and kidneys.
The disease spreads mainly through respiratory droplets from infected people and, less commonly, through contact with infected sores, contaminated clothing or objects.
Symptoms can include fever, sore throat, swollen glands around the neck and difficulty breathing. Vaccination remains the primary means of preventing diphtheria.
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