July 7 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Nigerian authorities have confirmed an outbreak of diphtheria in the capital, Abuja, following the recent death of a four-year-old boy who tested positive for the virus, amid a spike in infections that has left nearly 800 confirmed cases in so far this year
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has indicated that the diphtheria incident management system “To coordinate response activities” has been activated, which includes increased efforts to detect possible infections and awareness campaigns.
“As of July 3, only one confirmed case had been detected, with seven suspected cases testing negative. Others are awaiting laboratory results. No more deaths have been recorded, apart from those confirmed by laboratory tests,” he said. .
On the other hand, it has detailed that since December 2022, 798 cases have been confirmed in eight states of the country –with a total of 80 deaths–, with a total of 782 in Kano (north), the most affected. 71.7 percent of the cases have been detected in children between the ages of two and fourteen.
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium corynebacterium diphtheria, which mainly infects the throat and upper respiratory tract, and produces a toxin that affects other organs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) through its page Web.
The agency notes that the toxin “can, in severe cases, cause myocarditis or peripheral neuropathy” and adds that “the disease is transmitted through direct physical contact or inhalation of aerosolized secretions from coughing or sneezing from infected individuals.”
