The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has said about 1,191 persons died of diphtheria from May, 2023 till date across Nigeria.

The Incident Manager, National Diphtheria Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Muzzammil Gadanya, disclosed this on Wednesday in Kaduna during the National Intra-Action Review Meeting for Diphtheria outbreak.

He said the country recorded suspected cases of more than 38,000 persons while the number of confirmed cases stood at 23,000.

Mr Gadanya said the primary focus of the review meeting was to assess Nigeria’s current response mechanisms and strengthen coordination efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.

He, however, said that there was a significant reduction in diphtheria cases nationwide.

Mr Gadanya said vaccines were available for routine immunisation, stressing the need for continued efforts to sustain progress in containing the disease.

Also speaking, the Director, Healthcare, Nigeria Red Cross, Dr Manir Jega, said the group serves as an auxiliary to the government.

He said, “Since the outbreak of diphtheria, we have supported the government by sending 3,700 community-based volunteers, who also engaged in house to house sensitisation.

We also sensitised the populace by road shows, educating them on the signs and systems of the disease.”

The stakeholders gathered at the meeting to evaluate the current strategies in combating the outbreak and to identify areas that require further improvement.

The key participants included the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross, IFRC and representatives from the sub-national bodies.

They shared their experiences in managing diphtheria cases and provided updates on state-level responses.

The officials highlighted the need for increased public awareness about vaccination and the importance of active case-finding.

It is hoped that the discussions and insights from the review meeting will play a crucial role in further mitigating the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria.

Key recommendations, including expanding vaccination efforts, increasing public awareness initiatives, and implementing active contact tracing in affected areas if such were made.

This was with the hope that the actions will play a crucial role in reducing the diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria and strengthening the country’s capacity to respond to future outbreaks.

(NAN)