Three children have tragically passed away due to an outbreak of diphtheria in Tukur Tukur settlement in the Zaria Local Government area of Kaduna State.
A health team, led by Dr. Bello Jamo, the Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, confirmed this sad news during their recent visit to the community.
The team, which also included a representative from the World Health Organisation, visited the settlement following reports of child fatalities linked to the disease.
Dr. Jamo identified the lack of compliance with diphtheria vaccination as a significant factor contributing to the outbreak, noting that the community had shown resistance to the routine vaccination program conducted two months prior.
Dr. Jamo highlighted that this outbreak marked the first reported case of diphtheria in the 13 wards of Zaria LG following the June vaccination campaign.
He pointed out that Tukur Tukur settlement exhibited the highest rejection rate of the vaccine among the communities in the area.
He highlighted, “Based on our record, Tukur Tukur settlement has been the highest in the rejection rate of vaccines during our previous routine exercise.
“So I met with the ward leaders, religious and opinion leaders and urged them to scale up sensitisation campaigns on the need to embrace the vaccine.”
In response to the diphtheria outbreak, a team swiftly vaccinated over 1,000 children in the affected area and planned to continue vaccinations in neighboring settlements for the next week.
The team also urged local leaders and health officials to intensify awareness campaigns on the crucial importance of vaccination.
According to the local council’s Health Secretary, Abdullahi Sule, one child succumbed to the disease at home, while two others passed away after being rushed to the hospital.
Fatima Abdullahi, the ward focal person, reassured residents that her team would remain in the community for a week to ensure the disease was eradicated.
Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, a respected elder and spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum, expressed gratitude for the prompt response and pledged the community’s support for vigorous awareness campaigns on the importance of vaccination.
This swift action followed the community’s alert about a potential diphtheria outbreak.
