Nigeria records 41,000 cases of diphtheria

News Update

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, has said that the country continues to grapple with a diphtheria outbreak.

NCDC, via its official website, reported that a total of 41,336 suspected diphtheria cases had been recorded across 36 states and the FCT.

The cases were reported from 350 local government areas between Epidemiological Week 19, 2022, and Epidemiological Week 4, 2025.

According to NCDC’s latest data, 24,846 cases (60.1%) were confirmed, while 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded.

The classification of 3,546 cases (8.6%) is pending, while the status of 5,175 cases (12.5%) remains unknown.

The agency noted that the outbreak is concentrated in a few states, with Kano leading with 23,784 suspected cases, followed by Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777), and Jigawa (364).

These seven states account for 96.5 per cent of all suspected cases.

“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,” the agency stated.

NCDC reported that the outbreak has resulted in 1,262 deaths, reflecting a case fatality rate, CFR, of 5.1 per cent among confirmed cases.

The highest number of confirmed cases was recorded in Kano (17,770), followed by Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,380), Katsina (1,088), Borno (1,036), Jigawa (53), Plateau (31), and Kaduna (44).

These states account for 99.4 per cent of all confirmed cases.

The agency further disclosed that eight suspected cases were recently recorded in two states across five local government areas.

Six of the cases (75%) were confirmed as clinically compatible with diphtheria.

No deaths were recorded in the latest cases, keeping the CFR at zero per cent for the period.

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NCDC stressed the importance of vaccination in combating the disease.

“With the majority of cases occurring in children, strengthening immunisation efforts remains critical.

“Public health campaigns, improved surveillance, and rapid response initiatives are being deployed, particularly in the hardest-hit states,” it stated.

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