The Kano State Government, on Sunday, said it had activated contact tracing as the diphtheria outbreak in the state has spread to 31 out of the 44 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The state epidemiologist, Dr Abdullahi Karaunmata, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen, said that over 100 patients were on hospital admission, while about 2,000 patients who were treated and had recovered had been discharged.
The resurgence of diphtheria, according to him, may be linked to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a lockdown and disruption of routine immunisation of children.
Karaunmata said: “Recently, the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control) released a list or an update outlining the number of states affected, with the total number of confirmed cases, including the mortality among the children. The report has categorised Kano among the states with the highest number of diphtheria patients.
“Currently, we have more than 100 cases on admission. We have treated and discharged over 2,000.
“The diphtheria has been reported in 31 out of the 44 LGAs in the state.
“Through the epidemiology unit, we have now established contact tracing teams across the high-burden LGAs. The team is actively searching for the children, with symptoms of diphtheria. With this development we have focused our searchlight on all the nooks and crannies of the state, searching for these patients”.
