Amid a recent outbreak of diphtheria, a communicable disease, the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has called for the urgent supply of nine million doses of vaccines to curb the spread of the infectious disease.

The demand followed a recent outbreak in communities in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State, where several victims, including children, have reportedly died.

Concerned about the outbreak and the possibility of its spread to other communities, the Federal Ministry of Health on Thursday deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines and a special task force to coordinate rapid surveillance and response efforts in Kano and Katsina states.

Briefing journalists on the outbreak, the Director-General of Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Prof. Muhammad Adamu Abbas, expressed concern over the growing number of children in the state who have received no vaccine doses.

Abbas said that, given the increasing number of vulnerable children who had never received any form of immunisation, Kano required no fewer than nine million vaccine doses to tackle the disease.

He explained that, disturbed by the growing population of children who had never received immunisation across the 784 wards in the state, the Kano State Government had resolved to procure vaccines, subject to approval by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), but was subsequently restricted by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The director-general, who explained why hundreds of children in rural communities are susceptible to infectious diseases, including diphtheria, disclosed that more than 16,000 children in communities across Rano had received zero doses of vaccines.

Abbas also blamed traditional barbers for contributing to the crisis by cutting the membrane, a thick, greyish-white layer that can form in the throat of children suffering from diphtheria.

He expressed concern that while some parents of affected children refused to report suspected cases to the nearest medical centre, they often resorted to local healers and traditional practices, which could damage vital organs and cause serious complications.

According to him, “We have had several cases where parents would keep their sick children even as their conditions get worse. In many cases, they would rather call local barbers to cut off the children’s membrane, causing wounds and bleeding. Many of these cases result in death.”

On the controversy surrounding casualty figures in Rano, Abbas insisted that the centre had never concealed information on cases or deaths recorded during outbreaks.

He said that from 2022 to date, about 39,000 suspected cases had been reported, of which 32,000 tested positive, while 1,800 people had died from diphtheria.

“We have our field volunteers across all our secondary healthcare facilities designated to record outbreaks and take note of reported cases. So far, we have had 39 active cases reported from January to August 2026 in Rano.

“Twenty-five cases have been treated, while two deaths have been recorded in Rano. We found that 94 per cent of all these cases involved children who had received zero doses of vaccines, while 91 per cent of cases were reported very late.

“We had earlier requested six million doses, but to cover children who have received zero doses, Kano needs no fewer than nine million doses of vaccines,” Abbas added.

A member representing Rano State Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Mohammad, had raised the alarm during plenary over the alleged deaths of more than 50,000 children from complications arising from diphtheria.

The lawmaker challenged the executive to find a lasting solution to curtail the spread of the disease.

Abbas, however, admitted that some deaths might have occurred without the knowledge of field officers.

He promised that the centre would intensify risk communication, awareness creation, and early surveillance and response to ensure the prompt detection and confirmation of cases.