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A new diphtheria outbreak has been detected at a boarding school housing more than 2,000 students in Nigeria's northern Kano State, as the country continues to battle its largest recorded outbreak of the disease, with more than 28,000 cases and 1,100 deaths reported nationwide.
The Kano State Centre for Disease Control said authorities had launched a response after receiving reports of infections at the school, raising concerns about the potential spread of the highly contagious bacterial disease among students living in shared accommodation.
According to a situation report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), citing figures from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Nigeria had recorded 28,151 diphtheria cases and 1,126 deaths as of Nov. 7.
Kano remains the country's worst-affected state, accounting for 12,008 confirmed cases, or approximately 43% of the national total.
The disease has spread across 26 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory, which includes the country's capital, Abuja.
Children between the ages of 5 and 14 are among the hardest-hit groups, while approximately two-thirds of confirmed patients had not been vaccinated against diphtheria.
Diphtheria is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection that primarily affects the nose and throat. It spreads through respiratory droplets and close contact with infected individuals, making boarding schools particularly vulnerable because students share living spaces and facilities.
Without timely treatment, the infection can lead to severe breathing difficulties, heart complications and death.
Health authorities have pointed to gaps in vaccination coverage and delays in seeking medical treatment as major obstacles to bringing the outbreak under control.
The IFRC also warned that vaccination uptake remained low in some affected communities despite the rollout of emergency vaccination doses.
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