Nigeria activates emergency task force to contain diphtheria outbreak in Katsina State
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, issued the directive as the government intensifies efforts to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to outbreaks.
NIGERIA—The Federal Government has activated an emergency task force to contain a diphtheria outbreak affecting children in parts of Katsina and Kano States, with immediate measures focused on strengthening disease surveillance, closing immunization gaps, and expanding access to treatment.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, issued the directive as the government intensifies efforts to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to outbreaks.
Multi-agency response
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration 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 established a multi-agency task force to coordinate the response.
The Director-General of NCDC and the Director of Public Health will co-chair the task force.
Its membership includes representatives from NPHCDA, the Commissioners for Health of Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto States, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme in Katsina State.
The Ministry’s Chief Epidemiologist will serve as secretary.
The task force will coordinate activities across three priority areas: outbreak containment and immunisation, expanded access to treatment, and emergency support for referral care.
Intensifying surveillance and immunisation
Under the first priority, health authorities will conduct outbreak investigations, strengthen disease surveillance and intensify community sensitisation.
These measures will support efforts to identify unvaccinated children and close population immunity gaps through targeted immunisation.
To support the response, NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines to Katsina and Kano States.
Health teams will use the vaccines to intensify immunisation activities in affected communities and areas considered at risk.
The task force will also work with state authorities to monitor the spread of the disease and identify emerging cases early, enabling health workers to intervene before infections lead to severe illness or further transmission.
Expanding access to treatment
The response will also expand treatment services closer to affected communities. In Katsina State, the task force will work with the state government to establish treatment annexes in hospitals across the three senatorial districts of Katsina, Daura and Funtua.
The additional treatment centres are intended to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment while reducing the distance patients must travel to receive specialised care.
Strengthening referral services
The government will also mobilise emergency support for the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, which serves as the principal referral centre for the state and parts of neighbouring states.
The support will include Diphtheria Antitoxin (DAT), intravenous antibiotics, additional clinical personnel and personal protective equipment (PPE).
These resources will strengthen the hospital’s capacity to manage severe cases and protect healthcare workers providing care.
The task force will submit weekly updates to the Coordinating Minister, covering response progress, emerging challenges and additional resource needs.
It will also escalate identified bottlenecks for immediate action by the relevant authorit
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