NewsDesk @bactiman63
In a follow-up on the diphtheria outbreak in Nigeria, between week 19 (mid-May) of 2022 and week 7 (mid-February) of 2023, 724 suspected cases of diphtheria were reported from 20 states in Nigeria, with the majority of cases reported from Kano (533, 74%), Yobe (86, 12%), Katsina (45, 6%), Sokoto (14, 2%), Enugu: (9, 1%), Osun: (7, 1%), Osun (7, 1%), Kaduna: (6, 1%), Lagos (5, 1%), and Zamfara (5, 1%) states, the World Health Organization reports.
A total of 89 deaths were recorded among all suspected cases, representing a case fatality rate of 12.3%. Of suspected cases, 313 cases were confirmed.
Children aged 2-14 years account for the majority of confirmed cases (85.2%). Only 43.2% of confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a vaccine containing diphtheria toxin.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel notice for NIgeria due to the outbreak.
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