DIPHTHERIA ALERT: FG DEPLOYS 500,000 VACCINES, ACTIVATES EMERGENCY TASK FORCE IN KATSINA, KANO

 


Pate Orders Urgent Action as Govt Moves to Contain Outbreak Among Children

By Okwo Romeon Abuja 

Abuja: The Federal Government has activated an emergency multi-agency task force and deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Katsina and Kano States following a diphtheria outbreak affecting children in parts of the two states.

The emergency response, ordered by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, is aimed at containing the outbreak, strengthening disease surveillance, closing immunisation gaps and ensuring that affected children have rapid access to life-saving treatment.

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the affected state governments and international health partners, has constituted the task force to coordinate the response.

The task force will be co-chaired by the Director-General of the NCDC and the Director of Public Health, with representatives from the NPHCDA, the health commissioners of Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states, the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme in Katsina State.

The Ministry’s Chief Epidemiologist will serve as secretary.

The Federal Government has directed the task force to immediately intensify activities on three critical fronts — outbreak containment and immunisation, expanded access to treatment and emergency referral support.

Under the immunisation component, health authorities will conduct detailed outbreak investigations, strengthen surveillance and intensify community sensitisation, particularly in communities where children remain unvaccinated or inadequately protected.

As part of the immediate intervention, the NPHCDA has already deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Katsina and Kano to support intensified vaccination campaigns in affected and high-risk communities.

The government has also directed the Katsina State Government to establish treatment annexes in hospitals across the state’s three senatorial districts — Katsina, Daura and Funtua — to bring treatment closer to affected communities and improve early intervention.

Additional emergency support is also being mobilised for the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, which serves as the principal referral centre for Katsina State and parts of neighbouring states.

The support package includes Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT), intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers involved in managing suspected and confirmed cases.

The emergency task force is expected to submit weekly updates to Minister Pate on the progress of the response, emerging challenges and additional resources required to contain the outbreak.

Any identified bottlenecks are to be escalated for immediate resolution.

The Federal Government, while urging intensified vigilance and cooperation from communities, reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigerian children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

It also pledged to maintain a swift, coordinated and evidence-based response until the outbreak is brought under control.

The emergency intervention comes amid renewed efforts by health authorities to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness and response mechanisms against infectious disease outbreaks, particularly those capable of affecting vulnerable children.

— Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

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