Nigerian govt confirms 24,846 diphtheria cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported 24,846 diphtheria cases across the country.

In a report posted on its website on Saturday, the agency said 41, 336 suspected cases were reported in 350 local government areas across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NCDC added that the confirmed cases represented 60.1 percent of the total suspected cases.

It said 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded, 3,546 cases (8.6%) were pending, and 5,175 cases (12.5%) remain unknown.

READ ALSO: Nigeria confirms diphtheria killed 1,191 in 17 months

The agency noted that the outbreak is concentrated in seven states – Kano (23,784), Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777), and Jigawa (364).

The seven states, according to NCDC, account for 96.5 percent of all suspected cases.

The report read: “Of the confirmed cases, the majority—15,845 (63.9%)—occurred among children aged one to 14 years, highlighting the disease’s severe impact on younger populations.

“Alarmingly, only 4,963 (20%) of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine, suggesting gaps in vaccination coverage.”

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