As of March 2, 2023, 61 people had died in Kano State due to a diphtheria outbreak.

Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium called Corynebacterium species that affects the nose, throat, and sometimes, skin.

Diphtheria is easily transmitted from one person to another through direct contact with infected person droplets from coughing or sneezing, as well as through contact with contaminated objects and clothing.

The Kano State Case Manager, Dr Salma Suwaid, disclosed this on Monday at a webinar organised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Prevention with the theme ‘Diptheria outbreak in Nigeria: Vaccination Response.’

Dr Suwaid also said a total of 783 patients have been on admission so far. Of this number, 360 were females and 423 were males.

She said, “Eighty-three per cent of deaths occurred in patients with the onset of symptoms greater than three days and an average of 15 admission days.

“Sixty-eight per cent of patients have been discharged, 1.66 per cent absconded and 12.2 per cent died.”

On the preliminary assessment of patients, she said the space which is dedicated to triaging is adequately staffed and equipped with the necessary equipment for resuscitations.

“Crowd control personnel are stationed, suspected cases are identified, cases are categorised according to severity, swabs are taken and all healthcare workers adhere to safety precautions.”

She noted that DAT administration is done only once as early as possible

“As DAT is of equine origin, there is a risk of rare but severe anaphylaxis reaction and a frequent risk of mild reaction. Therefore, several measures are taken to mitigate the risks. The first is that DAT must be given in a hospital setting.

So far, the infection has been confirmed in Kano, Yobe, Lagos, Osun, and Katsina states the Punch reports.