By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
At least three children have died and six others have been infected in a suspected outbreak of diphtheria in Zaria, Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Bello Jamoh, confirmed the outbreak to journalists, revealing that the disease has persisted in the state for the past 10 months.
According to him, the Kaduna State Ministry of Health is coordinating the emergency response, with support from relevant health partners and stakeholders.
Dr. Jamoh also disclosed that a team of medical experts would be deployed to affected areas to help contain the outbreak and provide urgent medical intervention.
Meanwhile, a resident of Kwarbai, Zaria, Malam Bashir-Magaji Basharata, who lost his daughter to the suspected outbreak, said the disease is spreading rapidly in the community.
He narrated that his daughter developed a swollen neck, difficulty in breathing and speaking, and was rushed to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika.
“Despite receiving urgent care at the hospital, she passed away,” Basharata recounted. “Soon after, three other children developed similar symptoms.”
Basharata said he immediately informed the local council health department, which responded by dispatching a vaccination team to the area.
He further reported that two children from a neighbour’s household and another girl from a nearby street also came down with symptoms.
According to him, four children showing signs of diphtheria were admitted at Kakaki Primary Health Care Clinic, located near Kwarbai. As of his last visit, only one child had been discharged.
Basharata expressed concern over reports that diphtheria vaccines were not available anywhere in Kaduna State. He claimed that a visiting medical team had sourced vaccines from neighbouring Niger State to respond to the crisis.
Efforts are ongoing to confirm the diagnosis and prevent further spread of the disease.
