Katsina State Vaccinates Over 150,000 Against Diphtheria

The Katsina State Government, through Chief Press Secretary Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, announced the vaccination of 150,346 children against diphtheria as part of an emergency campaign that began on August 25. This campaign is being conducted in 15 high-risk wards across Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi, and Kankia Local Government Areas.

The vaccination effort included administering the Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) vaccine to 99,036 individuals aged between five and 15 years, while 51,310 children received the Pentavalent vaccine. This intervention was prompted by the spread of suspected diphtheria cases across 29 of the state's 34 local government areas, with Funtua reporting the highest incidence.

The campaign aims to vaccinate 114,570 children aged six months to five years with the Pentavalent vaccine and 146,075 individuals aged five to 15 years with the Td vaccine. The state government has also procured an additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines to extend the campaign to other affected communities.

Furthermore, three new isolation centers have been established to support the existing facility at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, with ongoing surveillance, contact tracing, case management, and community mobilization efforts in collaboration with relevant health agencies.