Diphtheria deaths rise in Plateau, Niger, Kano, Katsina amid

NIGERIA is facing a renewed diphtheria burden, with health authorities reporting fresh infections and deaths in Plateau, Niger, Kano and Katsina states.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said on August 28, 2026, that Nigeria had recorded more than 10,000 confirmed diphtheria cases in 2026.

Caused by a toxin produced by corynebacterium, diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease covered by one of the vaccines provided routinely through a childhood immunisation schedule.

The bacterial infection usually affects the mucous membranes of the nose and throat.

NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris, said the disease burden was particularly concerning among unvaccinated and incompletely vaccinated children. 

He identified Kano, Borno and Bauchi among the states carrying the heaviest burden, while attributing continued transmission partly to inadequate vaccination coverage, vaccine hesitancy, insecurity, displacement and difficulties reaching underserved communities.

The development comes amid a series of fresh outbreaks and reported deaths across several states.

Plateau records 23 deaths

In Plateau State, 23 people have died from suspected diphtheria in the last two weeks, with 143 suspected cases recorded, according to the state Commissioner for Health, Nicholas Baamlong.

Baamlong disclosed the figures on September 1, 2026, in an interview with Channels Television.

He said nine patients were receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos, while affected patients were being treated in isolation.

The commissioner identified late presentation and difficulty in obtaining diphtheria antitoxin as major challenges confronting the state’s response.

He also said the state was experiencing difficulties confirming suspected cases because it lacked specialised containers required to collect and transport samples to laboratories.

The state government, he said, had begun community awareness campaigns through traditional rulers and other stakeholders, while seeking support from the NCDC for antitoxin and sample-collection materials.

The Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer for Jos North, Baks Bulus, said 15 people have died from the disease in parts of Jos North.

Bulus said 117 suspected cases and 15 deaths were recorded within three days of the outbreak, adding that two siblings aged between 12 and 17 were among those who died.

Niger records 17 deaths

Niger State has also recorded 17 deaths from diphtheria since January 2026, including 11 deaths reported in recent days.

The Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency said on August 29 that 124 cases had been confirmed between January and early August.

The agency’s Executive Director, Junaidu Inuwa, said the latest deaths occurred in Chanchaga and Katcha Local Government Areas.

He said 74 patients had been treated and discharged from focal areas in Bida and Agaie, while surveillance continued in Suleja.

Inuwa attributed the high fatality rate partly to parents and guardians failure to immunise their children.

“Most parents are not immunising their children,” he said, while urging community structures to intensify mobilisation for routine vaccination.

Kano battles longstanding outbreak

Kano remains one of the worst-affected states.

On September 1, the Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Muhammad Abbas, said the state had recorded 39,536 suspected cases since the outbreak began in December 2022, of which 32,633 had been confirmed.

He said the disease had affected all 44 local government areas and that 1,744 deaths had been recorded. He later clarified that the fatality figure had risen to 1,747.

The Kano figures followed controversy over reports that more than 50 children had recently died from diphtheria in Rano Local Government Area.

On August 25, the Kano State House of Assembly raised the alarm over the reported deaths and called for urgent intervention.

The lawmaker representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, told the House that more than 50 children had reportedly died in Ridin and Sabuwar Qaura communities.

However, the Kano State Centre for Disease Control subsequently disputed the figure.

On August 29, Abbas said the centre’s surveillance data did not support the reported deaths. He said the official records showed 29 cases in the area between January and August 26, 2026, with two deaths at that point.

The Kano health authorities have blamed low vaccination coverage, late presentation, misinformation and some harmful traditional practices for the fatalities.

Katsina records about 1,000 suspected cases

In Katsina, health authorities said about 1,000 suspected diphtheria cases had been recorded since January 2026, with about five per cent of affected people dying.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, Shaima’u Abba, disclosed this on August 30.

She said suspected cases had been reported in 29 of the state’s 34 local government areas as of epidemiological week 35, which ended on August 28.

Funtua had the highest number of reported cases, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.

The state began a reactive vaccination campaign on August 25 in 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia, with support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

The state government said on August 30 that 67,670 people had been vaccinated. It announced plans to establish three additional isolation centres to strengthen treatment and prevent further transmission.

But the outbreak has placed pressure on the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.

The hospital said on August 29 that the continued referral of suspected and confirmed diphtheria patients from across the state had overwhelmed its children’s ward, resulting in severe overcrowding and exhausted bed spaces.

FG activates emergency task force

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said it had responded to the growing outbreaks in Kano and Katsina by activating a multi-agency emergency task force on August 28.

The directive was issued by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate.

The task force comprises the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NCDC, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, affected state governments and international health partners.

Its responsibilities include strengthening surveillance, closing immunisation gaps, improving early case detection and expanding access to treatment.

The government also said NPHCDA had deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccine to Kano and Katsina as part of the immediate response.

Additional treatment support, including diphtheria antitoxin, intravenous antibiotics, personal protective equipment and clinical personnel, was also being mobilised for Katsina.

Other states also affected

The current outbreaks are occurring against the backdrop of a wider national diphtheria problem.

NCDC said on August 28 that more than 10,000 confirmed cases had been recorded nationally in 2026, with Kano, Borno and Bauchi among the states with the heaviest burden.

The disease has not been confined to those states.

Kaduna State issued a public health advisory on July 11 after reporting an increase in diphtheria cases, with children accounting for most of the infections.

The state Ministry of Health urged parents, caregivers, schools and community leaders to intensify preventive measures and ensure that children were adequately vaccinated.

Nigeria’s diphtheria outbreak has also previously affected states including Yobe, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna and Lagos.

The World Health Organisation reported that Nigeria remained the country with the highest number of diphtheria cases in the African Region. Between January and November 2025, it said 12,150 suspected cases had been reported, including 8,587 confirmed cases and 884 deaths across 30 states.