As of 3 October, Nigeria has recorded 13,204 suspected diphtheria cases.
Gavi, the Global Vaccine Alliance, has commended Nigeria's efforts in combatting the ongoing diphtheria outbreak across the country.
The organisation, in a press statement published on Wednesday, applauded the efforts of the coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, in establishing an emergency task force to address the ongoing outbreak.
It said the establishment of the task force is a critical step towards an effective response and that Gavi is committed to playing its role as a member of the task force.
Vaccine donation
The organisation's Director of High Impact Countries, Tokunbo Oshin, said the gravity of the outbreak requires swift and coordinated action from partners in support of the government's comprehensive response.
Mr Oshin said Gavi is actively engaged in the response efforts and has since circulated 11.7 million doses of the highly effective pentavalent vaccine, which protects children from 5 life-threatening diseases - diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and Hib.
"We remain committed to working closely with the Nigerian government in partnership with all technical and resource partners to support its comprehensive response," he said.
He noted that vaccination is a critical preventive measure against the highly infectious disease, "so no child must be left at risk."
Controlling spread
The Nigerian government recently set up an emergency task force to mitigate the spread of diphtheria in the country.
The primary objective of the task force, it said, is to operate in an emergency mode to prevent further spread of diphtheria to other states and provide relief to affected communities.
The team is also expected to liaise with the governors of the states affected by diphtheria for counterpart funding, ownership, and mass mobilisation.
The task force is co-chaired by the Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, and the Director General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Ifedayo Adetifa.
Increased infection
Diphtheria infection in Nigeria has continued to increase as NCDC reports that as of 3 October, the country has recorded 13,204 suspected cases.
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Out of the suspected cases, 8,406 were confirmed from 114 local government areas (LGAs) across 19 states including the Federal Capital Territory.
Meanwhile, a recent situation report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that Nigeria is currently facing a second wave of diphtheria outbreak with a total of 4,717 confirmed cases out of 8,353 suspected cases as of 15 September.
The global body observed an increase in the affected population with a rise in the number of confirmed cases and related deaths.
About diphtheria
NCDC explained that diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium called Corynebacterium species that affects the nose, throat and sometimes, the skin of an individual.
It noted that people most at risk of contracting diphtheria are children and adults who have not received any or a single dose of the pentavalent vaccine (a diphtheria toxoid-containing vaccine), people who live in a crowded environment, in areas with poor sanitation and healthcare workers who are exposed to suspected or confirmed cases of diphtheria.
On transmission, NCDC added that the disease spreads easily among people through direct contact with infected people, droplets from coughing or sneezing and contact with contaminated clothing and objects.
The symptoms of diphtheria include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes (conjunctivitis) and neck swelling. In severe cases, NCDC said that a thick grey or white patch appears on the tonsils and/or at the back of the throat associated with difficulty breathing.
