The recent outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria is a public health concern for all

Abstract

The recent outbreak of diphtheria in Nigeria, despite mass vaccination coverage with the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine in the country, has posed a public health concern for all Nigerians and the world at large. Recently, sporadic cases of diphtheria in Nigeria have been reported in more than 6 states in the country. Suspected and confirmed individuals with diphtheria in these states have developed severe complications, including the loss of lives as a result of the disease. This has caused panic for the majority of Nigerians and the international communities, as they feared that another epidemic of diphtheria could be on its way. Different factors, such as reduced awareness and campaigns on diphtheria, low socioeconomic status, inadequate income, inaccessibility to vaccination, war and displacement, and ineffective monitoring of the immunization schedule, as well as the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, could explain the recent sporadic outbreaks of diphtheria in Nigeria. This is a wide gap in knowledge about diphtheria in Nigeria that needs to be filled appropriately. As such, we recommend swift public health actions to be taken by the Nigerian government for quick health interventions for diphtheria to mitigate the current outbreak and future spread of the infection in Nigeria.

Unmasking diphtheria in Nigeria: A multifaceted approach to tackle outbreaks and improve immunization rates among the Nigerian population—An updated correspondence

“…This vaccine should be received till the 14th week of life. Furthermore, healthcare providers, especially physicians and school teachers in Nigeria should emphasize that all mothers and caregivers in Nigeria should bring proof of vaccination (vaccination cards) when bringing their children to the hospitals and schools, respectively, during immunization exercise 7 . Oduoye et al 7 believed that the approach would help to monitor the vaccination rate against diphtheria among infants in Nigeria.…”

“…It is not surprising given that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health programs worldwide 11 and could be a threat to the Nigerian health system. 7 The shocking news is the large number of cases of diphtheria that simply went under the radar for either not being related to the disease (7.1%), not being classified properly (15.3%), or simply due to an uncertain status (33.2%). 2,5 Of these, it is important to note that children and adolescents accounted for the vast majority (91.9%).…”

“…Recently, Oduoye et al 7 found that a confirmed case of diphtheria was admitted at the emergency pediatric unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna state, on January 22, 2023, with another case admitted through contact tracing. Both victims of the disease were said to be living together in the same house 7 . Not only in Nigeria, other African Union Member states such as Algeria, Guinea, and Niger, the cases are also increasing.…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared the frequent outbreaks of diphtheria in Nigeria as a public health concern 2,5 . Although vaccination efforts have been successful in Nigeria, unfortunately, it was estimated that almost seven million people remain unvaccinated and are at risk for infection in the country especially people living in the Northern part of the country 7 . Of course, cases of diphtheria incidence are under‐reported in Nigeria 7 .…”

“…What's more is that of the cases reported in scientific literature, nearly all of them unanimously reflect the country's poor monitoring and reporting system. 9,10 It is obvious that the recent outbreaks of diphtheria in Nigeria despite being a vaccine-preventable disease (VPD), reflect a major failure in the comprehensive Nigerian Program on Immunization (NPI) schedule in the country 7 and, of course, a really big mess to the Nigerian health system and certainly a menace to ponder on. It is not surprising given that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health programs worldwide 11 and could be a threat to the Nigerian health system.…”