Borno State Primary Healthcare Board says it has recorded 59 deaths out of the 481 diphtheria cases recorded so far in 14 local government areas of the state.

The Director, Public Health, Ministry of Health in Borno State, Dr. Goni Abba, disclosed this during an interview with Daily Trust in Maiduguri on Wednesday.

He said that about 20 cases are currently on admission and 216 samples were taken to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja for analysis.

"29 samples were returned from the National Reference Laboratory, in our response, we meet daily at the public health laboratory to brainstorm with our partners on timely response to the diphtheria cases," he said.

Abba said the serious cases of diphtheria were referred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, because some of the cases were so difficult that the children could not swallow or breathe properly.

"They need a tracheostomy, to open the trachea for them to swallow and breathe."

Abba noted that the diphtheria spread and mortality have been controlled after the state government deployed local government rapid response teams with drugs and antitoxins.

"Unlike how we started in July, cases are coming down, but the Ministry of Health and NCDC have been supporting us with drugs, and we also have the antitoxin, and children are being vaccinated.

"In a note shell, we are responding positively to diphtheria and trying to bring all the cases under control," he said.