The Kano State Centre for Disease Control had called for the immediate supply of nine million doses of diphtheria vaccines to help contain the spread of the disease in the state.

The agency said more than 16,000 children in communities across Rano Local Government Area had not received any routine vaccination, leaving them vulnerable to infectious diseases.

The Director-General of the KNCDC, Professor Muhammad Abbas, said the state had investigated about 39,000 suspected diphtheria cases between December 2022 and August 2026, with about 32,000 confirmed and 1,800 deaths recorded.

He said over 55 per cent of confirmed cases involved children who had received no vaccination. Abbas added that diphtheria had been reported in more than 27 local government areas, although the situation was largely under control due to improved surveillance and response efforts.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Niger State, 11 people had reportedly died from diphtheria in Chachanga and Katcha local government areas, with 124 cases confirmed and 84 patients treated and discharged.