Diphtheria: Borno sets emergency team as scourge hit 11 LGAs

The Borno State government says it has deployed a multidisciplinary emergency team across 11 local government areas, to ensure that diphtheria doesn’t spread across the state.

The Commissioner of Health, Baba M Gana, stated this during an interview with Daily Trust in Maiduguri on Tuesday.

“There is an outbreak of diphtheria in Borno State, and so far, 11 LGAs have been affected and the most affected are children,” he said.

 Gana noted that the multidisciplinary emergency team comprising the ministry, Hospitals Management Board and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital was on top of the situation.

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He appealed to people in the state to ensure that families, especially children are vaccinated against the disease.

Asked about the number of cases so far recorded in the state, he said, “We have sent specimens collected to Abuja for confirmation and until and unless Abuja confirms it’s all diphtheria, we can’t announce any figure to the world”.