Fresh diphtheria outbreak claims 40 lives in Kano

A new outbreak of diphtheria has claimed the lives of more than 40 people, mostly children, in Kano State. Several dozen others have been hospitalised due to the disease.

When our correspondent visited the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) on Wednesday around 2:00 PM, all three wards were filled with patients, and many others were waiting in line to see a doctor.

An anonymous hospital official, who requested to remain unnamed due to media restrictions, reported a high daily death toll from the outbreak.

“For the past two weeks, there have been daily fatalities from this disease,” the official said. “Every day, doctors are seeing a large number of patients. If you visit in the morning or evening, you will find dozens of victims waiting for treatment. The hospital has been continuously busy since the outbreak began.”

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The official explained that the hospital is overwhelmed because many local government area hospitals lack the necessary facilities to manage such cases. “Most patients are referred here because our facility is the most equipped to handle infectious diseases,” the source added.

Samira Danzaki, a mother whose daughter is receiving treatment at the hospital, told Daily Trust that she has been at the facility for two days. “I brought my daughter here on Sunday after she developed a severe fever and her neck swelled. We were referred to this hospital, and thankfully, she is responding to treatment,” Danzaki said.

Another patient in the queue reported experiencing severe throat issues after initially suffering from catarrh. “I came here because my condition worsened, and I am now having difficulty with my throat,” the patient said.

When contacted, Samira Sulaiman, the Public Relations Officer of the State Hospital Management Board, neither confirmed nor denied the report. She stated that management is holding an emergency meeting on the issue and promised to provide a communique to our correspondent the following day.