Federal Government has declared Kano the epicentre of ongoing diphtheria outbreak, saying the state alone accounts for over 84 per cent (7,188) of confirmed cases.
Six states: Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna, and Bauchi account for 97 per cent of all reported cases nationwide.
Consequently, Federal Government urged governors of the affected states to institute use of facemasks in public gatherings and advocate hand washing to reduce contact with the causative bacteria.
Co-chair, Diphtheria Emergency Task Force and Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, disclosed this at a briefing in Abuja, yesterday.
He described vaccination as the most formidable weapon against the disease. According to him, the country has two vaccines, which include the Pentavalent variety, administered to children aged six weeks to four years, and the Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine, given to children aged above four to 14 years.
