Authorities have stepped up vaccination, isolation and surveillance as Funtua and four other areas record the highest burden

The Katsina State Government is intensifying its response to a widening diphtheria outbreak reported in 29 of the state’s 34 local government areas, with emergency vaccination, isolation and surveillance measures being expanded across high-risk communities.

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Dr Shema’u Kabir, Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, disclosed the scale of the outbreak in Katsina on Sunday, August 30, 2026, as health authorities stepped up efforts to contain transmission and prevent further deaths.

Funtua currently has the highest reported burden, while Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura are also among the areas most affected.

The state government has responded with a reactive vaccination campaign covering 15 high-risk wards in Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia.

Preliminary figures show that 67,670 eligible people received Td vaccines within the first three days of the campaign, while 24,103 children received Pentavalent vaccines.

The state has also secured an additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines for communities considered particularly vulnerable to infection.

Three more isolation centres have been established to strengthen treatment capacity alongside the facility supported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.

Dr Kabir said medicines, medical consumables and infection-control supplies were also being distributed to affected areas as health teams intensified their response.

The effort comes amid growing pressure on the state’s health facilities.

The Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina said on Saturday that a surge in suspected and confirmed cases had overwhelmed its children’s ward, with referrals from facilities across the state stretching available bed spaces beyond capacity. (Channel Television)

The Federal Government has separately activated an emergency multi-agency task force involving the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NCDC, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, affected state governments and international partners.

The task force has been directed to strengthen surveillance, close immunisation gaps and improve access to treatment.

The Federal Government also said NPHCDA had deployed 500,000 vaccine doses to Katsina and Kano as part of the immediate response. (Health.gov.ng)

Authorities in Katsina, however, face significant challenges, including low vaccination uptake, delayed presentation at hospitals and the state’s porous border with Niger Republic.

The World Health Organisation has previously identified cross-border transmission as an important concern in the region, including transmission corridors linking Niger with Katsina and Kano. (World Health Organization)

Health officials are therefore combining vaccination with active case searches, contact tracing, chemoprophylaxis, enhanced surveillance and additional training for healthcare workers.

Dr Kabir urged residents not to wait until symptoms become severe before seeking medical attention.

“Residents experiencing sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, neck swelling, or a thick greyish/whitish membrane in the throat, tonsils or nose have been urged to report immediately to the nearest health facility,” she said.

Diphtheria is a serious and potentially fatal bacterial infection, particularly dangerous for children who have not been adequately immunised.

Vaccination remains a critical tool for reducing illness and deaths, while early diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes. (World Health Organization)

Katsina has previously been among the Nigerian states significantly affected by diphtheria.

During the country’s major outbreak in 2023, Katsina was one of the states reporting substantial numbers of suspected cases, alongside Kano, Yobe, Bauchi and Kaduna. (World Health Organization)

The current Katsina diphtheria outbreak has consequently renewed attention on routine immunisation and the need to close gaps in protection among children.

For families in affected communities, the immediate priority is early treatment and vaccination, while authorities work to prevent the outbreak from placing further strain on hospitals already struggling with rising admissions.

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The state government has appealed to residents to cooperate with vaccination and surveillance teams, stressing that prompt reporting, early treatment and community participation will be crucial to containing the outbreak and protecting vulnerable children.