As of March 9, 2025, Nigeria has recorded 1,319 deaths from diphtheria, with 25,812 confirmed cases across the country.
According to the latest data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the confirmed cases have been reported in 184 local government areas in 26 states, with Kano, Yobe, and Katsina states being the hardest hit.
“The confirmed cases were distributed across 184 LGAs in 26 states, with Kano (18,108), Bauchi (2,334), Yobe (2,408), and Katsina (1,501) accounting for 99.7% of the confirmed cases,” the report stated.
The disease continues to disproportionately affect children, with 62.9% of the confirmed cases being in those aged 1 to 14 years. Sadly, only 19.3% of the confirmed cases were fully vaccinated.
The NCDC highlighted the challenges faced in managing the outbreak, including “very low-test positivity rates” and “inadequate reagents for polymerase chain reaction testing on clinical samples.”
Despite these hurdles, the agency has committed to ongoing efforts to enhance testing, data collection, and case management across the affected states.
The NCDC urges continued vigilance, stressing that it will continue to provide support to local health systems to control the spread of the disease.
