As of June 30, 2023, there have been 798 confirmed diphtheria cases from 33 local councils in eight states, including the FCT. The report highlighted that 71.7% of the confirmed cases occurred among children aged two to 14 years. So far, there have been 80 deaths among all confirmed cases, resulting in a case fatality rate of 10.0%. Surprisingly, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine, 82% of the confirmed diphtheria cases in the ongoing outbreak were unvaccinated. Key Takeaway– Diphtheria outbreak has been reported in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and multiple states in Nigeria.

Source: The Guardian July 23, 2023 11:34 UTC