The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has predicted that more deaths resulting from Diphtheria would be recorded across the country, particularly among children.
It confirmed that 83 deaths have been so far recorded across 26 states of the country as of the end of July 2023.
NPHCDA Executive Director Dr Faisal Shuaib told journalists at a press conference in Abuja, on Monday, that some measures have been activated by the Agency and its partners to “arrest” the growing spread of the disease, which, it restated, was preventable through vaccination.
He explained: “Diphtheria is a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria. It mainly spread through direct contact with an infected person or exposure to airborne droplets. It poses a severe risk to people of all ages, particularly children.
“Unfortunately there’s still a significant number
children that are unvaccinated despite the availability of vaccines in the country’s routine immunization schedule, thus compromising the country’s goal of achieving population immunity despite the efforts of the Federal Government to provide safe and cost-effective vaccines.
“The disease primarily affects the respiratory system, and presents symptoms like fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, neck swelling, and breathing difficulties. The symptoms if left untreated can lead to death, with a higher risk for partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children in crowded and unsanitary areas.
“Adherence to proper hygiene practices is crucial in preventing the spread of diphtheria. Measures like hand hygiene, good cough etiquettes, clean environment, nutritiously balanced meals, isolating and quarantine of suspected cases can significantly reduce the risk of infection.”
He maintained that Diphtheria is totally preventable through vaccination, and in Nigeria, pentavalent vaccines are used to protect against diphtheria and are administered to children at 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks of age, with additional doses being given during campaigns.”
“From May 2022 to July 2023, an estimated 2,455 suspected cases were reported in 26 states, and as of July 27, 2023, 836 of the cases were confirmed in 33 LGAs across 8 states, namely, Cross River, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Lagos, Osun, Yobe, and FCT. Tragically, 83 deaths were reported from the confirmed cases, making vaccination against this deadly disease critically important, especially for our children.”
The NPHCDA boss, however, highlighted that a comprehensive response plan has been activated to detect cases early, contain the spread, and prevent further transmission through a multi-phased strategy.
He said: “In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC, the States and partners, we would facilitate an immediate response plan by leveraging surveillance data from NCDC and direct information from the states to ensure effective planning and resource deployment.
“We would work closely with partners to ensure adequate supplies of Tetanus Td for children 4 to 14 years and Pentavalent vaccines for children under four years. We would collaborate with the affected state teams and other stakeholders to conduct intensified mass vaccinations for identified at-risk populations in the affected states, administering pentavalent and tetanus & diphtheria vaccines.
“Additionally, we would conduct awareness campaigns to educate the people about the disease, its symptoms, and preventive measures. The response to the ongoing diphtheria outbreak will be carried out in two phases. First is the immediate response in 25 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across four States: Bauchi, Katsina, Yobe, and Kaduna, while the second phase is scheduled to begin on the 7th of August, 2023 and will continue until the 11th of August, 2023.
“The second Phase will cover outbreak response in 171 LGAs. Six States (Kano, Katsina, FCT, Yobe, Kaduna, and Bauchi) will have a state-wide outbreak response, while there will be targeted outbreak responses in LGAs across eight States: Jigawa (8 LGAs), Borno (4 LGAs), Osun (4 LGAs), Lagos (3 LGAs), Zamfara (3 LGAs), Gombe (3 LGAs), Plateau (1 LGA), and Nasarawa (1 LGA).
“This phase is planned to be conducted in three rounds. The first round will commence on 21st August 2023, followed by the second (2nd) and third (3rd) rounds tentatively set for 18th September 2023, and 16th October 2023, respectively. Each of these three rounds will span five days,” he said.
Meanwhile, WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, confirmed that the WHO team is on the ground in Yobe and Kano States, improving surveillance at the health facility and community level, supporting active case search and the decentralized isolation centres and referral to the state reference treatment centres, in the alignment of the state ministry of health request and NCDC guidance.
He added: “NCDC had also requested support from WHO for the deployment of 18 rapid response teams to support Bauchi, Kaduna and Katsina response. The deployment process is underway following the requested profile and a mix of the workforce from the Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (NFELTP), Avoc-SURGE and WHO staff will be used.”
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