The Federal Government has activated an emergency multi-agency task force to contain a diphtheria outbreak affecting children in parts of Katsina and Kano states .
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, issued the directive as part of efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, close immunisation gaps, and ensure timely access to treatment for affected communities .
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, affected state governments, and international health partners, constituted the task force to coordinate the emergency response .
As part of immediate containment measures, the NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines to Katsina and Kano states to support intensified immunisation activities in affected and high-risk communities .
The task force has been directed to act on three fronts: outbreak containment and immunisation, expanded access to treatment, and emergency support for referral care .
For treatment access, the government is working with the Katsina State Government to establish treatment annexes in hospitals across the state’s three senatorial districts: Katsina, Daura and Funtua . The move is aimed at bringing care closer to affected communities and facilitating early intervention for suspected and confirmed cases .
Urgent support is also being mobilised to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, which serves as the principal referral centre for the state and parts of neighbouring states. The support includes Diphtheria Antitoxin, intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment .
The task force will be co-chaired by the Director-General of the NCDC and the Director of Public Health, with members drawn from the NPHCDA, health commissioners from Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states, WHO, UNICEF, and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme in Katsina State . The ministry’s Chief Epidemiologist will serve as secretary .
The government said the task force would provide weekly updates to the Coordinating Minister on progress, emerging challenges and additional requirements, while identified bottlenecks would be escalated for immediate resolution .
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Nigerian children from vaccine-preventable diseases and to a swift, coordinated and evidence-based response to bring the outbreak under control .
