The Federal Government has deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Katsina and Kano States as part of emergency measures to contain a diphtheria outbreak affecting children in parts of the two states.
The development followed the activation of an emergency task force by the government to strengthen disease surveillance, close immunisation gaps and ensure timely access to treatment for affected communities.
The directive was issued by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, as part of the Federal Government’s “continuing commitment to protect the health of Nigerian children and strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks.”
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), affected state governments and international health partners, 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 Ministries of Health in 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 government said the task force had been directed to act immediately on three fronts: outbreak containment and immunisation, expanded access to treatment, and emergency support for referral care.
As part of the immediate response, NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of vaccines to Katsina and Kano States to support intensified immunisation activities in affected and at-risk communities.
The task force will also conduct outbreak investigations, strengthen disease surveillance and intensify community sensitisation to close population immunity gaps through the immunisation of unvaccinated children.
On treatment, the Federal Government will work with the Katsina State Government to establish treatment annexes in hospitals across the state’s three senatorial districts — Katsina, Daura and Funtua.
The government said the measure would “bring care closer to affected communities and facilitate early intervention.”
It is also mobilising urgent support to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, the principal referral centre for the state and parts of neighbouring states.
The support will include Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT), intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The emergency task force will provide 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 resolve to “protect Nigerian children from vaccine-preventable diseases” and said it remained committed to a “swift, coordinated and evidence-based response” to bring the outbreak under control.