Katsina Vaccinates 150,346 People in Five Days as Diphtheria Outbreak Response Intensifies

Katsina State Government has intensified its response to the diphtheria outbreak in the state, vaccinating 150,346 people within five days while expanding surveillance, treatment and contact-tracing activities across affected communities.

The reactive vaccination campaign, which began on August 25, 2026, is targeting 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia Local Government Areas.

By the fifth day of the exercise, 99,036 eligible residents had received the Td vaccine, while 51,310 children had been vaccinated with the Pentavalent vaccine.

The state government has also secured an additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines to extend protection to vulnerable populations in affected and high-risk communities.

The intervention followed reports of suspected diphtheria cases across 29 local government areas, with Funtua recording the highest burden, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s administration has activated the state’s emergency response structure, involving the State Emergency Preparedness and Rapid Response Team, the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency and the Ministry of Health.

The state is also working with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and development partners to strengthen disease surveillance, trace contacts and ensure early treatment of suspected cases.

To improve case management, three additional isolation centres have been established to complement the NCDC-supported isolation centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.

The government is providing essential medicines, medical consumables and infection-prevention materials, while health workers are undergoing additional training on diphtheria surveillance and case management.

Surveillance teams have continued to visit affected communities and health facilities to identify suspected cases, trace contacts and update records. Preventive medication is also being administered to contacts where necessary.

However, officials identified low vaccination uptake in some communities, delayed presentation of suspected cases and the state’s international border with Niger Republic as some of the challenges confronting efforts to contain the outbreak.

In response, traditional rulers and other community stakeholders are being mobilised to encourage residents to participate in the vaccination exercise and seek medical attention promptly when symptoms develop.

Residents have been advised to remain vigilant and seek immediate medical care if they experience symptoms such as sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, neck swelling, or the appearance of a thick greyish or whitish membrane in the throat, tonsils or nose.

The government also urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive their recommended vaccines, stressing that early detection, prompt treatment and community cooperation remain crucial to containing the outbreak.

Radda Advocates Enterprise Development

Meanwhile, Governor Radda has called for stronger entrepreneurship and enterprise development as part of efforts to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and strengthen social stability in Katsina State.

The governor made the call on Saturday at the fourth CEOs Round Table Summit and Exhibition organised in Katsina by the Initiative of Innovative Youthpreneurs Sustainable Development.

Radda urged young people and women to develop the skills, capacity and markets required to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.

He said entrepreneurship goes beyond having business ideas, stressing that successful enterprises require the right combination of capacity, market access and finance.

«“The links are capacity, market and finance,” Radda said.»

He assured entrepreneurs who meet the necessary requirements of his administration’s willingness to support them, particularly women.

The governor also linked economic empowerment to security, arguing that creating opportunities for young people could reduce idleness and some of the social pressures contributing to insecurity.

He encouraged young entrepreneurs to modernise traditional trades and vocational skills, improve their capacity and develop viable markets for their products.

The Convener of the CEOs Round Table, Lubabatu Umar Ahmed, said the initiative was created to connect entrepreneurs with ideas, opportunities and successful business leaders.

She commended the Radda administration for its support for small and medium-scale enterprises, noting that interventions through agencies and programmes, including KASEDA, Women Affairs and Girl-Child Education, had empowered 17,400 people across the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Aliyu Lawal Zakari Shargalle, said more than 800 young people had benefited from the Songhai training programme, with beneficiaries receiving start-up capital and grants after completing their training.

He added that another 700 young men and women were undergoing skills acquisition and educational training with government support through modern toolkits, financial assistance and monthly allowances.

Similarly, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Aminu Abdullahi Malumfashi, said more than 4,000 women were expected to showcase their businesses at an exhibition scheduled for October 6, while 2,200 women were expected to receive grants.

She said 1,700 Women Affinity Groups had already been established under the Nigeria for Women Project.

Radda said the enterprise development drive formed part of his administration’s broader development agenda, which he recently presented to a National Economic Council Implementation Monitoring Committee delegation as benefiting from support under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The governor cited more than nine major road projects, the renovation of over 250 primary healthcare facilities, the employment of more than 11,000 workers and the establishment of an agricultural mechanisation centre equipped with more than 400 tractors.

He also highlighted renewable energy investments, including a 10MW solar plant added to the Lambar Rimi Wind Farm, as well as solar projects supporting hospitals, schools and water facilities.

The NEC monitoring team, led by Daniel Ikara, expressed satisfaction with projects inspected across the state, particularly the agricultural mechanisation initiatives.

Radda maintained that a stronger enterprise ecosystem, equipped young people and empowered women remained central to building a more prosperous and secure Katsina State.