Federal Government (FG) Activates Emergency Task Force to Respond to Diphtheria Outbreak in Katsina, Kano

The Federal Government has activated an emergency task force to contain the outbreak of diphtheria among children in parts of Katsina and Kano States, with immediate measures being deployed to strengthen surveillance, close immunisation gaps and ensure timely access to treatment. The directive was issued by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, as part of the Federal Government’s continuing commitment to protect the health of Nigerian children and strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), affected state governments and international health partners, has constituted a multi-agency task force to coordinate the response. The task force will be co-chaired by the Director-General of NCDC and the Director of Public Health, with membership drawn from NPHCDA; the Honourable Commissioners for Health of Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto States; the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF; and the National Tuberculosis and Lepros