No fewer than 17 people have died from diphtheria in Niger State over the past seven months, with 124 confirmed cases recorded across Bida, Suleja and Shiroro local government areas.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Muhammad Bagana, disclosed the figures during a press conference in Minna, saying 103 patients had been treated and discharged.
He added that three new cases had recently been identified, with one patient currently receiving treatment. According to him, the state government has intensified surveillance, case management, immunisation and public awareness efforts to contain the outbreak.
The Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Dr Samuel Jiya, attributed the outbreak largely to poor vaccination coverage, warning that children who fail to complete their routine immunisation remain especially vulnerable.
According to Jiya, investigations showed that some affected children had received only one dose of the pentavalent vaccine, while others, including children aged nine and 10, had never been vaccinated.
"Anywhere you see a diphtheria outbreak, it means a child has not completed that vaccination or has not had access to it," he said.
"The pentavalent vaccine is administered at six, 10 and 14 weeks and is critical to protecting children against diphtheria and other vaccine-preventable diseases."
He also warned that vaccine refusal puts not only individual children at risk but entire communities.
Jiya linked the immunisation gaps to migration, vaccine myths and cultural beliefs, which he said have contributed significantly to vaccine refusal in parts of the state.
He noted that pregnant women are also receiving Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccines during antenatal care to help protect newborns during their first weeks of life.
On measles, Jiya said infections had declined in the state this year, with 31 cases recorded. Of those, nine tested positive and received treatment, while two deaths were reported.
