Nigeria Get 8,587 Diphtheria Cases And 884 Deaths, Di Highest For Africa – WHO

Nigeria dey lead Africa for reported diphtheria cases, with 8,587 confirmed infections and 884 deaths from January 1 to November 2, 2025, according to WHO. WHO report show say Nigeria still get di highest number of diphtheria cases for African region. Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) don scale up dia emergency response since August for Borno, Kano, and Bauchi, in collaboration with state Ministries of Health, because of di increase in cases. Hundreds of suspected cases wey Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers report don strain health facilities, show say treatment capacity and vaccine coverage dey critical. WHO talk say confirmed cases dey across 240 LGAs for 30 states, but only 3% na lab confirmed. Children and adolescents dey mostly affected, with low vaccination fuelling di spread. Over two million children for Nigeria never complete vaccination, including those with zero doses. Reactive campaigns don run for Imo, Kaduna, and Lagos targeting health workers and priority groups. Challenges dey, including delayed lab confirmation, poor infection prevention, limited information materials, and vaccine shortages. Talks with Gavi dey ongoing to get extra support. WHO/UNICEF estimate say first DTP dose coverage na 71% and third dose 67%.

WHO also report say Algeria, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and South Africa dey face diphtheria outbreaks, with hundreds to thousands suspected cases and hundreds deaths. Nigeria dey top di list for Africa. Outbreaks dey worsen for Mali, Mauritania, and Niger in recent weeks with geographic spread. Total for eight WHO African Region states from January 1 to November 2, 2025, na 20,412 suspected cases with 1,252 deaths (CFR 6.1%). Of dis, 9,864 (48.3%) confirmed through lab testing, epidemiology, or clinical diagnosis. Women, children aged 5–18, and young adults under 30 dey mostly affected. WHO declare say di situation na serious public health concern, grade two emergency. Timely detection, coordinated response, and clinical management dey critical, but global DAT shortage and limited lab capacity dey hamper efforts. Sustained vaccination, community engagement, and strong health systems na key to stop transmission and prevent future outbreaks for African Region.