Katsina records diphtheria cases in 29 LGAs, secures 650,000 vaccine doses

The Katsina State Government says suspected diphtheria cases have been recorded across 29 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State as the Government intensifies efforts to contain the outbreak.

Shema’u Kabir, Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, while briefing journalists on Sunday in Katsina, said the situation remained a serious concern, with Funtua recording the highest burden, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.

She said the Government had activated its Emergency Preparedness and Rapid Response Team under the Incident Management System to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing, case management and vaccination across affected communities.

According to her, reactive vaccination began on Aug. 25, 2026, targeting 15 high-risk wards across five LGAs, Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and with logistical support from UNICEF.

She said preliminary data from the first three days of the exercise showed that 67,670 eligible persons had received Td vaccines, while 24,103 children had received Pentavalent vaccines across the five LGAs.

“Preliminary campaign data show high turnout and strong community demand,” he said, attributing the response to house-to-house mobilisation and the involvement of traditional leaders, community stakeholders, health workers and other partners.

Kabir further said that the State Government had secured 650,000 additional doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines for reactive vaccination in high-risk and affected communities.

Beyond vaccination, she said the Government had established three additional isolation centres, in addition to the existing NCDC-supported isolation centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.

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She added that essential drugs, medical consumables and infection prevention and control materials were being provided to support case management, while drugs were being pre-positioned in affected areas.

The Government, she said, was also strengthening active case searches, contact tracing, surveillance and chemoprophylaxis for contacts, while health workers were receiving additional training on diphtheria surveillance and case management.

However, she identified low vaccination uptake, late presentation of suspected cases at health facilities and the porous international border with Niger Republic as major challenges confronting the response.

She urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children received all recommended vaccines, stressing that vaccination remained one of the safest and most effective ways of preventing diphtheria.

She also advised residents to immediately seek medical attention when they develop symptoms including sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, neck swelling, or a thick greyish or whitish membrane in the throat, tonsils or nose.

“Please do not wait until the condition becomes severe, and do not attempt to manage a suspected case at home,” Kabir warned.

She therefore appealed to communities to cooperate with vaccination teams, surveillance officers and other health workers participating in the response.

She expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NPHCDA, NCDC, UNICEF, WHO, traditional and religious leaders, local government authorities, community mobilisers and frontline health workers for supporting the state’s response.

She reassured residents that the Government remained committed to containing the outbreak, strengthening surveillance and case management, improving routine immunisation coverage and protecting eligible children.

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, and early detection and prompt treatment can significantly reduce severe illness and deaths.

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