Tuesday, September 15, 2026 -A serious diphtheria outbreak is affecting communities across Zamfara State, with health officials reporting hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of deaths.
The Zamfara State Ministry
of Health has reported 44 d£aths from a diphtheria outbreak across parts of the
state.
The ministry has recorded
367 suspected cases so far, with more than 320 patients successfully treated
and discharged.
Laboratory tests confirmed
the presence of the diphtheria-causing organism in samples sent to the National
Reference Laboratory in Abuja for verification.
Following confirmation of
the outbreak, Governor Dauda Lawal declared it and activated emergency response
systems.
The state and local
government response teams have been working to manage cases across all 14 local
government areas, with general hospitals setting up isolation centres for
diphtheria patients.
Gusau Local Government
Area, which has the most cases, has about four treatment centres operating.
The director of public
health said children aged six to ten are among those most affected.
While the number of d£aths
has reduced and many patients are responding well to treatment, the disease
continues to spread through active community transmission.
Because of the outbreak,
the Ministry of Education has extended school resumption by two weeks.
The new tentative
resumption date is September 28, pending further advice from health
authorities.
chools have been directed
to clean and decontaminate their premises and ensure adequate handwashing
facilities are available during the break.
The ministry urged
residents to seek immediate medical attention if they show symptoms of
diphtheria and to cooperate with health officials reporting suspected cases.
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