The Federal Government has activated an emergency task force to contain a diphtheria outbreak affecting children in parts of Katsina and Kano States, with immediate measures underway to strengthen surveillance, close immunisation gaps and improve access to treatment.
The directive was issued by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, as the government moves to protect children and strengthen Nigeria’s response to disease outbreaks.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), affected state governments and international health partners, has constituted a multi-agency task force to coordinate the response.
The task force will be co-chaired by the Director-General of NCDC and the Director of Public Health, with representatives from NPHCDA; the Commissioners for Health 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 task force has been directed to take immediate action on three key areas:
Outbreak containment and immunisation:
Authorities will conduct investigations, strengthen disease surveillance and intensify community sensitisation and vaccination to close immunity gaps among children.
As part of the response, NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Katsina and Kano States for intensified immunisation in affected and at-risk communities.
Expanded access to treatment:
The task force will work with the Katsina State Government to establish treatment annexes in hospitals across the three senatorial districts — Katsina, Daura and Funtua — bringing treatment closer to affected communities and enabling earlier intervention.
Emergency support for referral care:
Urgent support will be mobilised to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, the state’s principal referral centre and a facility serving parts of neighbouring states.
The support will include Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT), intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The task force will submit weekly updates to the Coordinating Minister on progress, emerging challenges and additional requirements, while identified bottlenecks will be escalated for immediate resolution.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigerian children from vaccine-preventable diseases, promising a swift, coordinated and evidence-based response to bring the outbreak under control.