Picture , Courtesy: UNICEF/UNI439445/Adeokun Adesegun
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm over the outbreak of diphtheria diseases in Nigeria, saying it has so far claimed 453 lives.
A statement on Wednesday by UNICEF said the outbreak has “so far resulted in over 11,500 suspected cases, more than 7,000 confirmed cases, and claimed the lives of 453 people, mostly children”.
Following this development which most severe in recent global history, UNICEF Nigeria is sounding the alarm about the urgent need for widespread vaccination.
Most cases are children aged between 4 to 15 years who have not received even a single dose of the vital vaccine, laying bare the urgency of the vaccination situation in Nigeria.
The statement said already, “UNICEF is providing urgent support to the Nigerian government in its efforts to combat the outbreak. A crucial part of this support includes the procurement of vaccines to support the government’s response.
“So far, on behalf of the government, UNICEF has deployed 9.3 million doses of diphtheria vaccines to affected states including Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna and Jigawa. Of these, 4 million doses have been dispatched to Kano, the epicentre of the outbreak. Another 4 million doses of vaccines are being procured and will be handed over to government in the coming weeks”.
Dr. Rownak Khan, UNICEF Representative a.i. said, “the devastating impact of this diphtheria outbreak is a grim reminder of the importance of vaccination.
“Nigeria is home to a staggering 2.2 million children who haven’t received even a single dose of vaccine – the second largest such cohort in the world. We must collectively take urgent actions to drastically reduce this number. Every child deserves protection from preventable diseases. This is not negotiable”.
Already, UNICEF Nigeria has called on partners, stakeholders and the international community to rally together to ensure that every child in Nigeria is reached with life-saving vaccines. The children’s agency emphasizes the importance of strengthening routine immunization, community engagement, and health systems to avoid similar outbreaks in the future.
To respond effectively to the outbreak, the statement said, “UNICEF Nigeria needs to raise an additional US$ 3.3 million until the end of the year”.
Diphtheria according to Oxford dictionary, is an acute and highly contagious bacterial disease causing inflammation of the mucous membranes, formation of a false membrane in the throat which hinders breathing and swallowing, and potentially fatal heart and nerve damage by a bacterial toxin in the blood. It is now rare in developed countries owing to immunization
