With a significant number of reported cases, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) acknowledged a trend—diphtheria is primarily affecting children aged 1 to 14.
The agency’s recent revelation noted that out of 41,336 confirmed diphtheria cases in the country, about 15,845 children are significantly affected.
Diphtheria, which spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes, has led to a 61% rise in cases among children.
During reporting week 4 (January 26), out of eight suspected cases recorded, six were confirmed and distributed across five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in two states, with zero mortality, while two cases remained unknown.
Of the six confirmed cases, 75% were described as clinically compatible with diphtheria.
Across 350 LGAs, suspected diphtheria cases were reported between Epidemiological Week 19, 2022, and Epidemiological Week 4, 2025, in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Out of the 41,336 reported cases, about 24,846 (60.1%) were confirmed, 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded, 3,546 (8.6%) remain pending, and 5,175 (12.5%) are unknown.
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The confirmed cases were distributed across 187 LGAs in 26 states.
As the bacterial infection outbreak surges, Kano leads 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.
Kano takes the lead in number of confirmed cases (17,770), followed by Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,380), Katsina (1,088), Borno (1,036), Jigawa (53), Plateau (31), and Kaduna (44), making up 99.4% of all confirmed cases.
The report noted, “Only 4,963 (20%) of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated with a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine.”
The health agency also reported a total of 1,262 deaths, reflecting a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 5.1% among confirmed cases.
Highlighting the importance of vaccination in combating the rising surge, the NCDC noted, “With the majority of cases occurring in children, strengthening immunization efforts remains critical.”
“Public health campaigns, improved surveillance, and rapid response initiatives are being deployed, particularly in the hardest-hit states.”
The agency acknowledged that the diphtheria outbreak highlights the urgent need for stronger vaccination efforts, especially in northern Nigeria, where most cases are reported. Closing the vaccination gap is crucial to controlling the spread and lowering the fatality rate.
