Katsina State is battling a worsening diphtheria outbreak, with about 1,000 suspected cases recorded across 29 local government areas since January 2026 and approximately five per cent of those affected reported dead.
The development has triggered intensified emergency response measures by the state government as health authorities race to prevent further transmission of the highly infectious disease, particularly among children and other vulnerable residents.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Shaima’u Abba, disclosed the figures on Sunday while briefing journalists at the Agency’s Emergency Coordination Centre in Katsina.
Abba described diphtheria as a highly infectious but vaccine-preventable disease that primarily affects the respiratory tract, warning that the continuing outbreak constitutes a serious public health concern.
As of Epidemiological Week 35, covering August 28, suspected cases had been reported in 29 local government areas of the state. Funtua recorded the highest number, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.
The scale of the outbreak has prompted the government and its partners to step up surveillance, vaccination, case management and community mobilisation in an effort to break the chain of transmission.
Abba said the administration of Governor Dikko Radda was fully committed to containing the outbreak through a coordinated response involving the State Emergency Preparedness and Rapid Response Team, the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, the Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and development partners.
She said surveillance activities were being intensified across affected communities, with health authorities conducting contact tracing, reviewing data, investigating suspected cases and administering preventive treatment to people who had been exposed to infected persons.
The activities are being coordinated under the Incident Management System, which brings together various agencies and health workers to ensure that suspected cases are identified and managed promptly.
Vaccination drive targets high-risk communities
As part of efforts to halt the spread, a reactive vaccination campaign commenced on August 25 in 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia local government areas.
The campaign is being supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with health officials relying heavily on community mobilisation to reach eligible residents.
Abba said the vaccination exercise had so far received encouraging participation from communities, particularly through intensive house-to-house mobilisation.
The emphasis on vaccination comes against the backdrop of concerns over low immunisation coverage in some communities, which health authorities say is contributing to the vulnerability of residents to vaccine-preventable diseases.
Beyond vaccination, the state government has also expanded its capacity to isolate and treat patients.
Abba disclosed that three additional isolation centres had been established to complement the existing NCDC-supported isolation facility at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.
She added that essential medicines, medical consumables and infection-prevention materials had been distributed to treatment centres, while health workers were receiving additional training in disease surveillance and case management.
Hospital overwhelmed as children’s ward runs out of beds
The growing number of patients is, however, placing significant pressure on health facilities.
The Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, confirmed on Saturday that the increasing number of diphtheria patients had stretched its children’s ward beyond capacity.
In a statement, the hospital management said the continuous referral of suspected and confirmed cases from different parts of the state had resulted in severe overcrowding and exhausted the available bed spaces.
The situation highlights the growing strain the outbreak is placing on the state’s healthcare infrastructure, particularly facilities receiving critically ill children.
Despite the pressure, the hospital said it remained committed to providing quality and timely care to patients while making alternative arrangements to accommodate the increasing number of children requiring treatment.
The management also commended its healthcare workers for their dedication and called for stronger collaboration between government agencies, health institutions and development partners to contain the outbreak and protect vulnerable children.
Poor vaccination uptake, delayed treatment pose challenges
While outlining the response measures, Abba identified three major factors threatening efforts to control the outbreak: poor vaccination uptake, delays in seeking medical care and Katsina’s porous border with the Niger Republic.
Delayed presentation is particularly concerning because diphtheria can become severe when treatment is not initiated promptly.
Abba therefore urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive all routine vaccinations and advised residents not to ignore symptoms associated with the disease.
She specifically called for immediate medical attention when symptoms including sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, swelling of the neck or the appearance of a greyish membrane in the throat are observed.
The health authorities are also urging communities to cooperate with vaccination and surveillance teams as they move from house to house to identify suspected cases, trace contacts and provide preventive interventions.
With suspected infections now reported in nearly three dozen local government areas, officials say sustained community cooperation will be critical to stopping further spread.
For Katsina, the immediate priorities remain clear: increase vaccination coverage, detect infections early, ensure prompt treatment, expand isolation capacity and strengthen surveillance in communities and along the state’s borders.
The government’s response is being mounted against a backdrop of an already stretched healthcare system, making coordination between state and federal health agencies, hospitals, communities and development partners essential to bringing the outbreak under control.