Diphtheria Outbreak: Yobe Records 13 Deaths, 511 Cases This Year

The Yobe State Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Dr Muhammad Gana, says the state has recorded 511 cases of diphtheria between January and September 8.

 Gana disclosed that 13 deaths were recorded from the disease within the same period, putting the state's Case Fatality Rate (CFR) at 2.5 per cent — lower than most other states affected by the outbreak nationwide.

According to Gana, 12 local government areas in Yobe have been affected by the outbreak, with plans now at an advanced stage to roll out vaccination campaigns across these areas.

He noted that the current figure of 511 cases marks a significant decline compared to the 1,100 cases recorded in September 2025 and in preceding years. Gana attributed this downward trend — which began after the state recorded its highest diphtheria burden of 3,080 cases in 2023 — to sustained outbreak response efforts.

He listed some of these efforts to include the provision of free drugs to victims, training of health workers on response strategies, intensive vaccination drives in hard-to-reach areas, community engagement, and public sensitisation campaigns against the disease. Other measures, he said, included aggressive contact tracing by health workers, regular sharing of updates with relevant stakeholders, coordination meetings, and resource mobilisation to support the outbreak response.

Gana commended the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) for their support of the state's vaccination campaign, particularly in reaching nomadic settlements.

Diphtheria is an acute bacterial infection that typically affects the throat and upper respiratory tract. It spreads mainly through respiratory droplets released during coughing or sneezing, and can occasionally be transmitted through direct contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated secretions.