Kano probes diphtheria outbreak in LGA

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has dispatched a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to Rurum Ward in Rano Local Government Area following reports of a suspected diphtheria outbreak in the community. The visit was in response to a directive from the Kano State House of Assembly, which called for an on-the-spot verification of […]

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has dispatched a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to Rurum Ward in Rano Local Government Area following reports of a suspected diphtheria outbreak in the community.

The visit was in response to a directive from the Kano State House of Assembly, which called for an on-the-spot verification of the situation amid reports of increasing diphtheria cases.

The technical team, led by the Director General of KNCDC, Professor Muhammad Adamu Abbas, had earlier conducted a preliminary assessment and active case review on October 22, 2025 by the state’s epidemiologist.

It was revealed that the latest visit was to consolidate findings and ensure that accurate and evidence-based information was communicated to the public.

An active case search was also conducted across all health facilities visited, with no new deaths recorded apart from the four previously documented cases confirmed by both state and national response teams.

Speaking to journalists, the Director of Disease, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (DHEPR), Dr Abdulwahab Kabir Sulaiman, who represented the KNCDC Director General, outlined the major symptoms of diphtheria as sore throat, fever, breathing difficulties, swollen neck, and a thick grey coating on the throat and tonsils.