Diphtheria disease: Death toll increases
THE Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, said the death toll from Diphtheria disease across the country was now 34, as Kano State registered 100 cases. The NCDC, via its official website, yesterday, said the deaths were between December 2022 and early January 2023 and were from Lagos, Kano, Yobe and Osun, and had reported cases of the disease, with Kano State alone, registering 25 deaths. The agency also blamed the increase in the infection and resurgence on the low vaccination coverage across the country. Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease that was common decades ago. Due to the effectiveness of childhood vaccination programmes, most people have forgotten what diphtheria looks like. He said: “The fact that we are having a resurgence of diphtheria now suggests that there have been critical reductions in vaccination coverage among pockets of our population. “This reduced level of population immunity has given rise to the cases that we are seeing. “It is not ...