Kano records 32,000 Diphtheria cases, 1,800 deaths

Kano records 32,000 Diphtheria cases, 1,800 deaths

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control, KNCDC, has revealed that it has confirmed 32, 000 cases of diphtheria, out of 39,000 suspected since its first outbreak in December, 2022.

The centre also disclosed that out the confirmed cases, more than 1,800 victims died.

At a media chat with selected journalists in Kano on Saturday, the Director-General of the KNCDC, Professor Muhammad Adamu Abbas, said more than 25,000 of the confirmed cases were children.

He however stated that out of the 25,000 children, 16,000 were found to have zero dose of vaccination, while 9,000 were fully vaccinated.

The vaccination gap, Abbas suggested, “provides an important explanation for why diphtheria has been able to continue affecting communities.

“The disease is vaccine-preventable, yet thousands of children remain vulnerable because they have never received the protection that routine immunisation is designed to provide.

“Some cases are confirmed through laboratory tests using nasal and throat swabs. Others are clinically confirmed where the characteristic signs and symptoms are obvious, while epidemiological confirmation may be made when a person has been exposed to a confirmed case within an outbreak setting.

“The figures are not being hidden. They are necessary for public health action. It is our duty – the law says we must inform the people of Kano when these things happen,” he said.

The DG attributed the frequency of the outbreaks to late presentation by families as well as involvement of traditional medication.

According to Abbas, Diphtheria is an acute illness that can deteriorate rapidly, noting that late presentation at hospitals could be damaging as by the time some children arrive at health facilities, the disease might already have progressed significantly.

Abbas also recalled investigations in Rano Local Government, the epicenter of the disease, where health officials discovered that some affected children had been allegedly taken to traditional barbers who attempted to remove the characteristic membrane associated with diphtheria.

In some instances, he said, the traditional healers allegedly attempted to cut the neck of affected children.

“Health officials subsequently engaged traditional healers and barbers to explain the dangers associated with such practices.

“The message was not that traditional practitioners had no role to play, but that they needed to recognise the limits of their practice and refer patients when faced with conditions requiring specialised medical care.

“We are not against your services, but know your own limits,” he lamented.

The DG therefore stated that the state government is proactive in response to the outbreak of diphtheria in the state.

He said the government had decentralized the diphtheria treatment centers to Rano, Bichi, Wudil, Tudun Wada and other parts of the state’s to allow communities access the treatment with ease.

He noted that the decentralization would also save lives.

“The experience also forced the state to rethink how diphtheria treatment was organised. Initially, many patients from distant communities had to travel to Kano metropolis to access treatment.

“For poor families, the journey could involve commercial transportation and long hours on the road.

“Apart from delaying treatment, such movement could expose other passengers and communities to infection.

“The state therefore decentralised diphtheria treatment services.Treatment centres were established in locations including Rano, Bichi, Wudil, Tudun Wada and other parts of the state,” he said