The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported that the country continues to battle a major diphtheria outbreak, with children being the most affected.
According to an update on its official website, a total of 41,336 suspected cases have been recorded across 37 states and 350 local government areas (LGAs) from Epidemiological Week 19, 2022, to Epidemiological Week 4, 2025.
Recent data show that 24,846 cases (60.1 per cent) have been confirmed, 7,769 (18.8 per cent) were discarded, 3,546 (8.6 per cent) remain pending classification, while 5,175 (12.5 per cent) have an unknown status.
The NCDC noted that the outbreak is concentrated in a few states, with Kano reporting the highest number of suspected cases (23,784), followed by Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777) and Jigawa (364).
These seven states alone account for 96.5 per cent of all suspected cases, highlighting the geographic concentration of the outbreak.
Among the confirmed cases, children aged one to 14 years are the most affected, making up 15,845 cases (63.9 per cent). This indicates that younger populations bear the brunt of the outbreak.
The report further revealed gaps in vaccination coverage, which may have contributed to the spread of the disease. Only 4,963 (20 per cent) of the confirmed cases had received full vaccination with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine.
This low immunisation rate underscores the need for urgent and intensified vaccination campaigns to curb the outbreak.
Since the outbreak began, 1,262 deaths have been recorded among confirmed cases, resulting in a case fatality rate (CFR) of 5.1 per cent.
The highest number of confirmed cases was reported in Kano (17,770), followed by Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,380), Katsina (1,088), Borno (1,036), Jigawa (53), Plateau (31) and Kaduna (44). These states account for 99.4 per cent of all confirmed cases.
In the most recent reporting period, the NCDC recorded eight suspected cases from two states across five LGAs.
Of these, six cases (75 per cent) were confirmed as clinically compatible with diphtheria.
No deaths were recorded during this period, keeping the fatality rate at zero per cent for the latest cases.
The NCDC emphasised the critical role of vaccination in controlling the outbreak.
“With the majority of cases occurring in children and low vaccination rates among confirmed cases, strengthening immunisation efforts remains critical,” the agency stated.
