The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports that the country is still battling a diphtheria outbreak. According to the agency’s official website, a total of 41,336 suspected diphtheria cases have been reported across 37 states, spanning 350 local government areas from Epidemiological Week 19, 2022, to Week 4, 2025.
Of the reported cases, 24,846 (60.1%) were confirmed, while 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded. The status of 3,546 cases (8.6%) is pending, and 5,175 cases (12.5%) remain unidentified.
The outbreak is mainly concentrated in a few states, with Kano leading with 23,784 suspected cases, followed by Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777), and Jigawa (364). These seven states account for 96.5% of all suspected cases.
Of the confirmed cases, 15,845 (63.9%) were among children aged 1-14 years, underscoring the heavy impact on younger populations. Alarmingly, only 4,963 (20%) of the confirmed cases had received a full vaccination with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine, indicating significant gaps in vaccination coverage.
The outbreak has led to 1,262 deaths, with a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 5.1% among confirmed cases. The highest number of confirmed cases was reported in Kano (17,770), followed by Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,380), Katsina (1,088), Borno (1,036), Jigawa (53), Plateau (31), and Kaduna (44). These states account for 99.4% of all confirmed cases.
Recently, eight suspected cases were recorded across two states and five local government areas. Six of these cases (75%) were confirmed as clinically compatible with diphtheria, but no deaths were reported, maintaining a CFR of 0% for this batch of cases.
The NCDC emphasizes the critical importance of vaccination in combating the disease.
