The Katsina State Government says it has vaccinated 150,346 people within five days as part of intensified efforts to contain a diphtheria outbreak reported across 29 local government areas of the state.
The emergency vaccination campaign, launched on August 25, 2026, is being implemented alongside active case detection, treatment, contact tracing, isolation, infection prevention and community mobilisation.
The state government said 99,036 eligible persons received the Td vaccine, while 51,310 children were administered the Pentavalent vaccine, bringing the total number of vaccinations recorded in the first five days to 150,346.
The reactive vaccination campaign is currently focused on 15 high-risk wards in Bakori, Charanchi, Funtua, Mashi and Kankia local government areas.
The government said the campaign targets 146,075 persons aged five to 15 years for Td vaccination and 114,570 children aged six months to five years for Pentavalent vaccination across the five local government areas.
According to the government, field reports indicate strong public participation, with house-to-house mobilisation and the involvement of traditional rulers and community stakeholders contributing to increased turnout at vaccination posts and health facilities.
To expand protection against the disease, the state government has also secured an additional 650,000 doses of diphtheria-containing vaccines for deployment to high-risk and affected communities.
The outbreak has been reported in 29 local government areas, with Funtua recording the highest burden, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura, among other affected areas.
The state government has established three additional isolation centres, complementing the NCDC-supported isolation centre at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina.
It said essential medicines, medical consumables and infection-prevention materials were being provided, while case-management drugs were being positioned closer to affected communities.
Health workers are also receiving additional training in diphtheria surveillance and case management, while surveillance teams are visiting affected communities and health facilities to identify suspected cases, trace contacts and update records.
The government said preventive medicines were also being administered to people who had been exposed to suspected cases where necessary.
The response is being coordinated through the State Emergency Preparedness and Rapid Response Team, Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and development partners.
Regular coordination meetings, surveillance activities, contact tracing and preventive interventions are ongoing as part of the emergency response.
Despite the intensified response, the state government acknowledged that low vaccination uptake in some communities, delayed presentation of suspected cases and Katsina’s international border with Niger Republic remain challenges to controlling the outbreak.
The government therefore urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive recommended vaccines and encouraged residents to seek medical attention promptly when symptoms emerge.
Symptoms of diphtheria may include sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing or breathing, neck swelling and the development of a thick greyish or whitish membrane in the throat, tonsils or nose.
The government advised residents not to attempt to manage suspected cases at home, stressing the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.
It said the administration of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda would continue to provide resources required to contain the outbreak while strengthening disease surveillance, case management and routine immunisation across the state.
