The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF on Thursday disclosed that no fewer than 122 persons have lost their lives to diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Ms Cristian Munduate, who disclosed this in a statement by the UNICEF’s Communications (Advocacy, Media & External Relations), Safiya Yoba Akau, expressed worry over the growing outbreak which she said has affected children in 27 states of the country putting the case fatality rate (CFR) at 8.7%.
Munduate said as at July, this year, 3,850 suspected cases were reported with 1,387 confirmed as diphtheria.
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According to the statement, “As of July 2023, 3,850 suspected cases were reported with 1,387 confirmed as diphtheria. The disease has tragically claimed 122 lives, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 8.7%.
“The outbreak has affected mainly Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara, which account for 98.0% of the suspected cases. Most confirmed cases, approximately 71.5%, have occurred among children aged 2 – 14 years.
“It’s heartbreaking to note that only 22 % of the confirmed cases received their routine childhood immunization vaccinations.
“Most of these affected children, especially those who unfortunately passed away, had not received a single dose of the vaccine. The need to reach the unreached has never been more critical,” it noted.
The statement added, “UNICEF Nigeria is amplifying its efforts to counter a growing outbreak of diphtheria that has affected children in 27 states.
“In response to the outbreak, UNICEF is closely collaborating with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the affected States and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), providing technical support to plan and operationalize the response.
“UNICEF’s commitment extends to several key interventions, including: Transporting vaccines and related equipment to the affected states and strengthening routine immunization, Training health workers and volunteers for service delivery, risk communication, and community engagement as well as supervising outbreak response activities.
“Procuring and supplying face masks, hand sanitizers, and antibiotics to treat diphtheria as well as supplying Laboratory consumables and biosafety cabinets for testing of suspected cases at the NCDC.
“Ms Munduate emphasized the pressing need to reach children who had missed out on their vaccines due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Many children did not receive their vaccines during the COVID-19 lockdown. We now urgently need to catch up. These ‘zero-dose’ children, those who haven’t received a single dose of vaccine, are a primary concern.
“In light of these sobering statistics, UNICEF Nigeria urges all parents and guardians to ensure their children receive routine immunizations to protect them from preventable diseases like diphtheria. The agency will continue to intensify efforts to address the ongoing outbreak and work alongside the government to achieve a healthier, safer future for every Nigerian child,” the statement however reads.
(Vanguard)
