The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported that the country is still battling a diphtheria outbreak.
According to its latest update, a total of 41,336 suspected cases have been recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
These cases were reported from 350 local government areas between 2022 and early 2025. Out of the total, 24,846 cases (60.1%) were confirmed, while 7,769 cases (18.8%) were ruled out. The status of 3,546 cases is still being determined, and 5,175 cases remain unclassified.
The outbreak is mainly affecting a few states, with Kano having the highest number of suspected cases (23,784), followed by Yobe (5,302), Katsina (3,708), Bauchi (3,066), Borno (2,902), Kaduna (777), and Jigawa (364). These seven states make up 96.5% of all suspected cases.
Among the confirmed cases, most (63.9%) occurred in children aged 1 to 14 years. Unfortunately, only 20% of these children were fully vaccinated with the diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine. This highlights the need for better immunisation coverage.
The NCDC reported that 1,262 people have died from the outbreak, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 5.1% among confirmed cases.
Kano recorded the highest number of confirmed cases (17,770), followed by Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,380), Katsina (1,088), and Borno (1,036). These states account for 99.4% of confirmed cases.
Recently, eight new suspected cases were reported in two states across five local government areas. Six of these cases were confirmed as diphtheria, but no deaths were recorded.
The NCDC is urging people to get vaccinated to prevent further spread of the disease. Since children are the most affected, improving immunisation efforts is essential.
The agency is also running public health campaigns, boosting disease surveillance, and increasing rapid response efforts in the worst-hit areas.
With more than 41,000 cases recorded, diphtheria remains a serious health challenge in Nigeria. Vaccination and public health measures are key to controlling the outbreak.
