At least three kids have died and six more infected after a suspected diphtheria outbreak in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr. Bello Jamoh, stated that the outbreak was now nearly 10 months old dating back to October 2024.
Dr. Jamoh said the Kaduna State Ministry of Health is coordinating response efforts with the involvement of partners and stakeholders.
Dr. Jamoh stated that a team of specialists will be deployed as special interventions to contain the disease and provide medical support for affected communities.
Malam Bashir-Magaji Basharata, a resident of Kwarbai in Zaria, who lost his daughter to the illness, described how the disease is quickly spreading around the city.
He lament how his daughter first had a swollen neck and had trouble breathing and speaking before being rushed to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika, where she later died.
Basharata said three other children showed similar symptoms and hereported the cases to the local council health department, prompting the deployment of a vaccination team to the area.
He further explained that four children exhibiting diphtheria symptoms were admitted to the Kakaki Primary Health Care Clinic near Kwarbai. As of his last visit, only one of the four had been discharged.
Health officials continue to monitor the situation as fears of further spread loom large.
