• Reports over 15,000 suspected cases, 9,772 confirmed cases, 530 deaths in 32 states
• Makes emergency appeal of N4.946 billion to reach over 5.4 million more people across 12 most affected states
The President of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Prince Adeaga Oluyemisi Adetayo, on Tuesday, in Lagos, raised the alarm that there is a spike in the ongoing diphtheria outbreak with over 15,000 suspected cases, 9,772 confirmed cases, and 530 fatalities reported in 32 states.
Adetayo said diphtheria has become a matter of utmost national importance as the disease outbreak is currently affecting 32 out of 36 states in Nigeria. He said NRCS has started Diphtheria Response in 12 most affected states but needs to N4.946 billion to reach over 5.4 million more people across 12 affected states.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diphtheria is a severe bacterial infection that can affect a person’s nose, throat, and occasionally skin. It is brought on by the bacterium Corynebacterium species. The people at the greatest risk of contracting diphtheria are children and people who have not received any or only a single dose of the vaccine. Residents of densely crowded places and unsanitary areas are also at risk of contracting the disease.
Adetayo said healthcare professionals, hospital frontline workers, and anyone who has come into contact with suspected or confirmed diphtheria cases are also at risk unless they are professionally protected using the available means and methods.
He said diphtheria is a severe bacterial infection and is most severe in 12 states of Nigeria, with Kano State having the highest number of new infections. “Our volunteers report that the disease is also serious in Yobe state. According to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), at least 117 children have died of the outbreak in the state. Diphtheria poses a significant threat to our national public health,” he said.
Adetayo said the NRCS in conjunction with the International Federation of. the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) initially targeted funds towards combatting this emergency, with an intervention aimed at reaching 1,585,080 individuals.
Adetayo said the problem continues to spread and they have been forced to scale up to 12 states, up from the six in which we were operating. “Initially we operated in Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Osun, Kaduna and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, but have now added Bauchi, Yobe, Jigawa, Zamfara, Borno and Sokoto,” he said.
Adetayo said the diphtheria outbreak was officially declared on January 20, 2023. He said confirmed cases at the time, stood at 111, with 22 recorded deaths and a case fatality rate of 19.8 per cent. He said the most affected states were Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto, and Enugu, and vaccination coverage remained a concern, with only 43.2 per cent of confirmed cases being fully vaccinated.
He, however, said “in the months of September and October, there was a spike with over 15,000 suspected cases, 9,772 confirmed cases, and 530 fatalities reported.”
The Red Cross President said the severity of the outbreak is compounded by low vaccination rates, insufficient testing, and challenges in accessing affected areas. He said the outbreak, as noted by analysis, is the worst in a decade and may escalate further without immediate intervention.
He said another challenge which some of you may have noticed is deliberate campaigns of disinformation and misinformation targeting the efforts o the Nigerian Government to get people at risk, vaccinated. He said there have been well-packaged, professionally produced, viral videos on social media discouraging people from getting vaccinated. “I want to use this platform to advise citizens to ignore any baseless information instead focus on getting the proper healthcare for they and their children, free of charge, at the nearest Primary Healthcare Facility,” he said.
Adetayo said as things stand now, the Nigerian Red Cross Society is actively engaged on several fronts.
On future plans, he said: “As we move into what is effectively the second phase of this Diphtheria Intervention, what we really want to do based on the needs that our volunteers have seen in the field is:
*Provide logistics support to 2,62 vaccination teams in high, zero-dose and hard-to-reach areas for routine vaccination.
*Train approximately 2,000 NRCS volunteers to support contact tracing activities and active case finding with partnership with the state surveillance officers and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
*Conduct mass awareness-raising campaigns including road walks in 13 targeted states.”
Adetayo said they targeted 1,585,080 ‘at risk’ individuals and have since surpassed that number and are now attempting to reach over 5.4 million people.
He said they are also focusing on vulnerable populations, including zero dose children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. He said adequate attention is given to local government areas with high caseloads and age groups 0-15 years.
Adetayo added: “Through the efforts of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies-Disaster Relief Emergency Fund, they utilised CHF 430,654 (Swiss Francs) in the first round of operation.
“Now, things have changed, the NRCS, now recognising that the NEEDS have increased, now seeks to raise CHF 5.4 million (N4.964 billion) to help it each more people across 12 of the affected states.”
