Outbreak of Diphtheria has claimed 10 lives, mostly children, as 91 cases were reported from 14 local councils of Jigawa State.

The Permanent Secretary (PS), Jigawa State Ministry of Health, Dr Salisu Mu’azu, confirmed this while fielding questions from newsmen on Diphtheria outbreak in the state.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently raised the alarm over long protocols in accessing Diphtheria vaccine and drugs, adding that such protocols and delay might aggravate the situation and lead to more casualties.

MSF Country Director, Mrs Pamela Akko, during a visit to Governor Umar Namadi, urged him and other governors to intervene, for making the vaccine and drugs available and accessible.

Muazu explained that out of the 91 suspected cases, two were confirmed, while result of other samples were awaited.

He added: “The ministry has already mobilised teams of health workers to the affected areas, and they have already enlisted the areas with dozens of medications, and micro immunisation.

“All the contacts and other children in the affected areas will be immunised, and constant treatment and surveillance will be sustained, as part of campaign to mitigate the disease, which is among the child killer diseases.”

According to the PS, the ministry has already informed the National Primary Healthcare Agency (NPHA) and National Commission for Disease Control (NCDC) for prompt intervention.

“We have submitted reports to NCDC and NPHC, and any moment from now, they will release the required vaccine dosage that we will use for a special round in the identified areas,” said the PS.

Muazu related the disease outbreak to COVID-19 during which many children received zero dosage of immunisation as a result of the breakdown of healthcare services in that period.