Diphtheria outbreak claims three children in Zaria, Kaduna

A suspected outbreak of diphtheria has reportedly claimed the lives of three children, with six others infected in Zaria, Kaduna State.

According to Dr Bello Jamoh, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, the outbreak has persisted in the state for the past 10 months since October 2024.

Jamoh revealed that the Kaduna State Ministry of Health is currently leading the response to the disease with the support of key partners and stakeholders. He further disclosed that a team of health experts would be deployed to intensify efforts in containing the spread and providing medical care to affected communities.

A resident of Kwarbai, Zaria, Malam Bashir-Magaji Basharata, who lost his daughter to the outbreak, described how the disease is rapidly spreading across the city. He explained that his daughter developed a swollen neck, difficulty in breathing and speaking, and was rushed to the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, where she later passed away. He added that not long after, three other children began showing similar symptoms.

Basharata noted that he promptly notified the local council health department, which dispatched a team of vaccinators to the affected area. He said that two children from a neighbour’s house and another girl from a nearby street were also affected, while four other children showing symptoms were admitted to Kakaki Primary Health Care Clinic near Kwarbai.

He expressed his concern over the unavailability of diphtheria vaccines in Kaduna State, claiming that medical teams had to source vaccines from neighbouring Niger State. As of his last visit, only one of the admitted children at the Kakaki clinic had been discharged.

The community continues to grapple with fears of further spread as health officials intensify efforts to contain the outbreak.