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Diphtheria: Six States Account For 97% Of Cases -NPHCDA
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said six states account for staggering 97 percent of all reported diphtheria cases in the country.
The agency’s Director General, Dr Faisal Shuaib,who disclosed this yesterday, at the Diphtheria Outbreak Response Press Conference, in Abuja, named the states as Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna and Bauchi.
Emphasising that the six states were bearing the brunt of the disease in the country, Dr Shuaib said Kano alone carries the weight of over 84per cent of these cases, making it the epicenter of the outbreak.
While regretting that Diphtheria, a preventable disease, has cast a dark shadow over communities, particularly impacting children who he described as “our most vulnerable citizens”, Dr Shuaib said the agency had launched rapid and comprehensive vaccination campaigns across the affected regions.
“These campaigns have been meticulously planned and executed, with a laser focus on the epicenter of the outbreak.
“Kano, as the epicenter of this outbreak, has been at the forefront of our vaccination efforts. Working with the state governments, we implemented rounds 1 and 2 of the vaccination campaign in five high-burden local government areas in February and April 2023 respectively.
“Subsequently, round 3 was integrated with routine immunisation intensification, further bolstering our response. An additional eight LGAs in Kano underwent reactive vaccination exercises in the last week of August,”he explained.
Speaking further, he said:”Today, we stand united in the face of a public health challenge that demands our unwavering attention and swift action.
“Diphtheria, a preventable disease, has cast a dark shadow over our communities, particularly impacting our most vulnerable citizens, our beloved children.
“As we confront this crisis head-on, let me share with you the vital role of vaccination in our battle against this formidable foe.
“In this ongoing outbreak, you have heard that some states have been affected, with Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna, and Bauchi bearing the brunt, accounting for a staggering 97per cent of all reported cases. Kano alone carries the weight of over 84per cent of these cases, making it the epicenter of this outbreak. The burden falls disproportionately on our young, with over 73per cent of cases occurring in children aged 1 to 14 years.
Alarmingly, only about 18% of those affected had received any vaccinations.
“As you may be aware, on the 19th of September 2023, the Honourable Coordinating Minister of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH&SW), Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, set up a national emergency task team for higher level coordination of outbreak response efforts. This includes ensuring optimal collaboration of all relevant stakeholders such as political, religious and traditional leaders. He also requested that Governors of the affected states should promptly release counterpart funds to ensure availability of operational resources to compliment the Federal Government’s contributions.
“The cohesive response of the Federal Government, Subnational levels and Partners is a vibrant reflection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s aspiration for Nigerians as eloquently captured in his renewed Hope agenda and his commitment to provide quality health care for all Nigerian irrespective of where they live, their ethnicity or religion. The Diphtheria outbreak response is an embodiment of this ethos.
“Vaccination has long been humanity’s armor against deadly diseases, and Diphtheria is no exception. The Federal Government recognizes the power of vaccines in safeguarding public health, and our response to this outbreak centers around the belief that vaccination is our most formidable weapon. We have two vaccines at our disposal: the Pentavalent vaccine, administered to children aged 6 weeks to 4 years, and the Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine, provided to children aged above 4 years to 14 years.”
According to him, “Beyond Kano, we expanded our response to include Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, and Yobe in our Phase One response. These states engaged, trained, and executed vaccination campaigns in 25 high-burden LGAs within their borders with the commencement of reactive vaccination in August 2023. Borno State also conducted reactive vaccination exercises in four LGAs during the same period.”
While saying it was crucial to note that routine vaccination continues daily at all government facilities across the nation, the NPHCDA boss explained that the “reactive vaccination exercises just serves as an additional layer of effort, a testament to the commitment of the Federal Government and our partners to curb the spread of this infection.”
He said:”For the Phase One response conducted in August, 2023, significant numbers were reached. In Kano State alone, 476,962 children received Td Vaccines, while 28,700 children received Penta vaccines. For other states, Katsina, had 313,615 children vaccinated with Penta vaccines and 421,045 with Td vaccines; Bauchi, vaccinated 162,840 children with Penta and 257,075 with Td vaccines; Kaduna, reached 174,857 children with Penta and 245,805 with Td vaccines. Yobe, vaccinated 82,601 children with Penta and 207,418 with Td vaccines. These figures do not include the daily routine vaccination efforts ongoing in these states.
“As of September 23rd, 2023, we commenced the Phase 2 Round 1 Diphtheria outbreak response in seven of the high-burden states. Yobe began on September 23rd, followed by Kano on September 30th. Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, and Katsina are poised to commence on October 7th, 2023.
“Vacination is not merely about administering shots and needles; it is about building trust and fostering community engagement. We acknowledge that our vaccination success hinges on the active participation and trust of our communities. Our dedicated teams have been on the ground, tirelessly engaging communities, answering questions and addressing concerns.
“We have undertaken a comprehensive approach that includes disseminating public health advisories through media engagement and webinars, developing and distributing Diphtheria Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) materials, coordinating stakeholders’ meetings for risk communication and community engagement. Our tireless teams continue to conduct sensitization campaigns targeting health workers, opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders, schools and community members. We are excited about the collaboration that the media has provided in order to increase awareness on the outbreak and encourage Nigerians to seek the protection of the vaccines.
“While we are firmly focused on controlling the Diphtheria outbreak, our vision extends beyond the immediate crisis. We are committed to strengthening our healthcare systems, ensuring the consistent availability of vaccines, and enhancing our capacity to respond to future outbreaks. The Federal Government continues to collaborate with Gavi, the vaccine alliance and our development partners as efforts are in full swing to expedite the procurement and delivery of more vaccines to combat this outbreak.”
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, congratulated Governor ChukwumaSoludo on his re-election, calling the result “an affirmation of visionary leadership” and promising closer federal–state collaboration with Anambra.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Soludo the winner of Saturday’s off-cycle poll after he swept all 21 Local Government areas.
In a statement he signed and released yesterday, Tinubu praised voters, security agencies and INEC for a peaceful exercise and urged the governor to be “magnanimous in victory.”
He also commended the new INEC chairman, Prof. JoashAmupitan and charged the commission to sustain higher standards in future polls.
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He wrote, “I must also congratulate the people of Anambra State, the security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission on the peaceful and successful conduct of the governorship election.
“Professor Soludo’s re-election is a testament to his visionary leadership and the significant progress the state has made under his guidance.
“Governor Soludo, the Solution, has demonstrated that indeed knowledge is power and that academic principles can be applied in serving the people, undergirding accountability, transparency and prudent management of people and resources.”
Tinubu reminisced on his visit to Anambra State in May, where he inaugurated some projects executed by the Soludo administration.
During the visit, he highlighted the good thinking behind the landmark projects being embarked upon by the governor, whom he called “Mr Solution.”
“That experience is indeed remarkable and will remain indelible in my mind,” he stated.
The President commended Soludo for bringing discipline, grace, brilliance, and a fresh perspective to governance in Anambra, saying, “Under him, Anambra is living up to its motto as the Light of the Nation.”
Assuring Soludo of his support, the President urged the former Central Bank Chief to be magnanimous in victory and to seek the cooperation of his opponents in the just-concluded elections.
He stated, “I assure Governor Soludo of my unwavering support, and I look forward to continued collaboration between Anambra and the Federal Government.
“The victory of the opposition All Grand Progressives Alliance in the election again demonstrates the vitality of our political system and the fact that victory for any progressive and hardworking leader can hardly be encumbered or denied.
Tinubu also thanked the new INEC Chairman, Amupitan, and his team for conducting what, according to him, observers have described as a credible election, “based on the reports I have received thus far.”
“I charge the commission with maintaining the standards and further improving its performance, so we can continue to strengthen and deepen our electoral system,” said Tinubu.
Soludo’s victory extends APGA’s two-decade dominance of Anambra politics and makes him the third governor in the state’s history-after Peter Obi and Willie Obiano-to win a second term.
Tinubu said he looks forward to “continued collaboration between Anambra and the Federal Government,” adding that Soludo has brought “discipline, grace and a fresh perspective” to governance in the state.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has described the ongoing construction of the brand new 13.52-kilometre Ngo-Atlantic-Oyorokoto Road as a bold and visionary effort by his administration to open up the coastal region for economic growth and harness the full potential of the state’s blue economy.
The Governor made this remark during an inspection visit to the project site in Andoni Local Government Area. The road, being constructed by Monier Construction Company (MCC), cuts through challenging coastal terrain and leads to a newly identified beachfront facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Governor Fubara explained that while the original plan was to construct a road leading to Oyorokoto Town and its popular beach, his administration decided to expand the project to create an entirely new route that would open access to another pristine beachfront.
“We are doing another inspection today. This particular one is a virgin road, 13.52 kilometres of a new pathway to the blue economy,” Governor Fubara stated.
“Initially, we were constructing a road to Oyorokoto Beach, one of the finest tourist centres in this area. But as we progressed, we discovered another beach directly facing the Atlantic Ocean. It became clear that we shouldn’t limit development to just one site. We want to harness this new beach front as part of our broader plan to develop the blue economy.”
The Governor emphasised that the project, once completed, will not only improve access to coastal communities but also stimulate tourism and economic activities, boosting revenue for Rivers State.
Describing the area’s difficult terrain as challenging, he commended the contractor for its dedication, and expressed confidence that the road would be completed and commissioned by March next year.
“You can see for yourself, it’s a brand-new road in a very difficult terrain, just like the one we saw yesterday. But I strongly believe we will overcome it. From what we’ve seen today, the contractor, MCC, is doing their best, and by next year, hopefully by March, we’ll have the cause to commission this project and give God all the glory,” the Governor affirmed.
Governor Fubara also visited Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area to assess the progress of work on the Epellema axis of the ongoing 5.2km Kalaibiama-Epellema road project featuring a 450-meter bridge.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed satisfaction with the level of progress recorded on the ongoing Trans-Kalabari Road project, revealing that about 75 percent of the critical piling work has been completed.
Governor Fubara made this known while addressing journalists after an on-the-spot inspection of the 12.5-kilometre road project, which will connect the state capital to several Kalabari communities across the sea.
The Governor rode on a boat from a jetty at Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area through the rivers and creeks on the project route during the inspection.
The project was awarded to Lubrik Construction Company Limited, on May 15, 2024, with an initial 32-month completion timeline.
The Governor said the visit was aimed at verifying reports from the Ministry of Works regarding the project’s advancement. He commended the contractors for their dedication, and described the progress as “a true reflection of hard work and commitment to excellence.”
“The first phase of the project takes us to Bakana, and features four major river-crossing bridges and nearly five deck-on-pile structures. The terrain is difficult, and the engineering work required is complex. But to the glory of God, I can confirm that the reports I’ve been receiving are accurate. Almost 75% of the piling job, which is the most critical part of the project, has been achieved,” Governor Fubara said.
He emphasised that the Trans-Kalabari Road is one of the most technically demanding infrastructure projects in the state due to its challenging marine terrain but reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to deliver it on schedule.
Governor Fubara highlighted the strategic importance of the road in connecting the Kalabari Kingdom to Port Harcourt, and stimulating economic growth across riverine communities.
“This is a key project that will turn around the lives of the Kalabari people immediately it is concluded. By the grace of God, in the next six months, if we return here for inspection, we might be driving across the bridge,” he said.
Governor Fubara assured Rivers people that his administration remains focused on delivering transformative infrastructure projects that will improve lives and bring lasting development to rural communities.
“We have made a promise to our people to embark on projects that will change lives and bring development, and this is a testament to that commitment,” he added.
