MSF: Nigeria Facing Unprecedented Diphtheria Outbreak

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) otherwise called ‘Doctors Without Borders’, yesterday said that Nigeria was facing an unprecedented diphtheria outbreak, insisting that the crisis demands urgent attention.

It stated that approximately 17,000 suspected cases had been reported with nearly 600 recorded deaths with no evidence of the situation abating.

MSF, while describing the situation as dire, noted that the severity of the situation had become starkly evident when examining the vaccination coverage.

A statement by the body lamented that in Kano state alone, where nearly 12,000 suspected cases had been reported, around 70 per cent of patients admitted to MSF facilities were either not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.

According to the statement, this highlights the alarmingly low vaccination rates, especially in the North-West, where coverage ranges from 6 per cent in Sokoto to 10 per cent in Zamfara and 18 per cent in Katsina.

In the North-East, the situation, it said, was equally concerning, with only 15 per cent of diphtheria patients treated at the MSF facility in Gwange Paediatric Hospital in Maiduguri being fully vaccinated.

The statement revealed that to combat the outbreak, a vaccination campaign had been launched through a joint effort by the Nigerian authorities, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The campaign, it said, will be conducted in three phases across 14 states: Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Yobe, Lagos, Nasarawa, Osun, Plateau and Zamfara.

“MSF has been actively responding to the diphtheria outbreak since early 2023. In Kano, we’re supporting two diphtheria treatment centres with a total capacity of 146 beds.

“ Our medical teams are implementing a decentralised strategy in collaboration with local authorities, extending support to various hospitals and health facilities across different local government areas. Simultaneously, we’re conducting health promotion activities to raise awareness among the population,” the statement read.

It stated that the outbreak was not confined to Kano, stating that in Maiduguri, Borno state, it had expanded its efforts by establishing a 20-bed diphtheria treatment clinic at the paediatric hospital in Gwange and had already treated 448 patients.

Similarly, in Bauchi state, it stated that a 20-bed diphtheria treatment centre was established at Ganjuwa hospital, where 173 patients had received treatment.

“It’s crucial to emphasise that MSF is working in tandem with the Ministry of Health and other international organisations to push for widespread vaccination campaigns across the affected states. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated,” it stated.