The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria has raised alarm on the outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria and called for massive vaccination across the country.
The group disclosed this in a statement by its media office.
The Fund noted that the outbreak has resulted in the deaths of over 400 people and over 7000 confirmed cases with children dominating the casualties.
It stated,
- “Amid the most severe diphtheria outbreak in recent global history, UNICEF Nigeria is sounding the alarm about the urgent need for widespread vaccination. The outbreak has so far resulted in over 11,500 suspected cases, more than 7,000 confirmed cases, and claimed the lives of 453 people, mostly children.”
- “Most cases are children aged between 4 to 15 years who have not received even a single dose of the vital vaccine, laying bare the urgency of the vaccination situation in Nigeria.”
What UNICEF is doing to curtail the spread of diphtheria
The organization further described its actions in stemming the rise of the disease stating it has deployed up to 9.3million doses of the diphtheria vaccine to the hard-hit states of Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna, and Jigawa.
It also said that it is purchasing an extra 4 million doses of the diphtheria vaccine to be delivered to the Nigerian government in the coming weeks.
The UNICEF country representative, Dr. Rownak Khan warned of the consequences of treating the outbreak with levity saying,
- “The devastating impact of this diphtheria outbreak is a grim reminder of the importance of vaccination.”
- “Nigeria is home to a staggering 2.2 million children who haven’t received even a single dose of vaccine – the second largest such cohort in the world. We must collectively take urgent actions to drastically reduce this number. Every child deserves protection from preventable diseases. This is not negotiable”
UNICEF calls for support
The fund stated it will need an additional $ 3.3 million in funding to combat the outbreak of the disease and called on stakeholders in Nigeria and the international community to rally together in providing vaccines for children and curtailing the spread of the disease.
