No fewer than 17 individuals have died from diphtheria in Niger State in the final seven months, with 124 cases recorded in Bida, Suleja and Shiroro native authorities areas of the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Muhammad Bagana, who made this disclosure throughout a press convention in Minna, mentioned a complete of 103 sufferers had been handled and discharged.
He defined that three new cases had lately been recognized, with one affected person presently on admission, simply as the federal government has intensified surveillance, case administration, immunisation and public consciousness to include the outbreak in the state.
Speaking on the outbreak, the Director of Disease (*17*) and Immunisation, Dr Samuel Jiya, blamed poor vaccination protection as a significant component answerable for the outbreak, whereas warning that kids who miss or fail to finish their routine immunisation stay notably weak.
Jiya disclosed that investigations have revealed that some affected kids had obtained just one dose of the pentavalent vaccine, whereas others, together with these aged 9 and 10, had by no means been vaccinated.
According to him, “Anywhere you see a diphtheria outbreak, it means a toddler has not accomplished that vaccination or has not had entry to it.
“The pentavalent vaccine is run at six, 10 and 14 weeks and is important to defending kids in opposition to diphtheria and different vaccine-preventable illnesses.
“Vaccine refusal does not only endanger individual children but could expose entire communities to preventable disease outbreaks.”
Jiya additionally linked the immunisation gaps to migration, vaccine myths and cultural beliefs which contributed largely to vaccine refusal in the state.
He mentioned pregnant girls have been additionally receiving Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccines throughout antenatal care to guard newborns throughout their early weeks of life.
On measles, Jiya mentioned infections had declined in the state, with 31 cases recorded this yr out of which 9 examined optimistic and have been handled, whereas two deaths have been recorded.
