Deadly Diphtheria Outbreak in Nigeria Kills 80 People So Far

The Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) issued a statement, declaring a major diphtheria outbreak in the country.

Diphtheria is a highly infectious disease caused by a toxin produced by bacteria that can lead to breathing difficulties, heart rhythm problems, and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Numerous outbreaks have occurred across the country since late last year, said Nigerian health authorities in the statement, with 798 confirmed cases reported as of June of this year.

“So far, a total of 80 deaths have been recorded among all confirmed cases,” the agency’s head, Ifedayo Adetifa, said.

According to the West African country’s health agency, diphtheria is “a vaccine-preventable disease covered by one of the vaccines provided routinely through Nigeria’s childhood immunization schedule.”

The agency although admitted that, despite the “availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine in the country,” a significant majority of infected people are unvaccinated.

NCDC reported that the majority of confirmed cases occurred among children between the ages of two and 14.

The agency has urged Nigerians to get inoculated, and healthcare workers have been instructed to immediately notify disease surveillance officers about suspected cases.

Meanwhile, the Health and Human Services Secretariat in Abuja is said to have activated the diphtheria Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate epidemic response activities.

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