The Kano State Government has inaugurated a special committee to coordinate efforts aimed at containing the spread of diphtheria across the state.
The committee was inaugurated on Friday by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, according to a statement issued by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Nabilusi Abubakar Ahmad.
Yusuf said the committee was established to strengthen the state’s response to the outbreak and prevent further transmission of the highly contagious disease.
“The committee was established to ensure a stronger and coordinated response to the disease and to prevent its further spread across the state,” the commissioner said.
He noted that diphtheria had remained a public health challenge in Kano since December 2022, stressing the need for urgent and collective action to protect residents.
According to him, vaccination and prompt access to medical care remain critical to controlling the disease.
The commissioner urged parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children receive all required diphtheria vaccinations, while advising residents to take anyone showing symptoms of the disease to the nearest health facility without delay.
He said the committee would focus on early detection and reporting of suspected cases, improved disease surveillance, accurate documentation of cases, increased vaccination in areas with low coverage, as well as effective referral and follow-up of suspected patients.
The committee comprises representatives of the state government, local government councils and emirate councils, a composition the commissioner said was intended to ensure effective coordination at the grassroots.
Yusuf charged the members to approach their assignment with dedication, saying their combined efforts would be essential to reducing transmission and protecting communities.
The Chairman of the committee and Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Prof Muhammad Adamu Abbas, pledged that the body would work with relevant stakeholders to fulfil its mandate.
Abbas said the committee would prioritise surveillance, vaccination and outbreak response activities across the state.
The move comes days after the Kano State House of Assembly urged Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to take urgent action over the diphtheria situation in Rano Local Government Area.
The lawmaker representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Malami, had raised the matter through a motion of urgent public importance during plenary, alleging that the outbreak had resulted in the deaths of more than 50 children in the area.
The latest intervention by the state government is aimed at strengthening coordination among health authorities and community-level stakeholders in the fight against the disease.
