The Kano State House of Assembly has directed its Committee on Health to engage the state Ministry of Health over a reported diphtheria outbreak in Rano Local Government Area, following claims that more than 50 children have died from the disease.
The directive followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the member representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Jibril Ismail Falgore.
Muhammad said the outbreak was particularly severe in Ridin and Sabuwar Qaura communities, where more than 50 children had reportedly died.
He said emergency measures, including the provision of medication and deployment of health workers, had already been initiated, but additional support was urgently needed to contain the disease.
The lawmaker appealed to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Commissioner for Health to provide further emergency assistance to the affected communities.
Supporting the motion, the member representing Kiru Constituency, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, said the outbreak had spread to communities in Kiru, including Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa. Tasiu disclosed that an APC youth leader in Kiru reportedly lost two children to the disease in one day.
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He called for the establishment of an emergency committee to coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak in Rano, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure, Bebeji and Kiru local government areas.
Diphtheria is a serious and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused mainly by toxin-producing Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
It commonly affects the respiratory system and can cause a sore throat, fever, weakness and swollen glands. In severe cases, a thick grey coating can form over the throat, nose or tonsils, making breathing and swallowing difficult. The disease can also lead to serious complications when the bacterial toxin spreads through the body.
Diphtheria spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, as well as through close physical contact with an infected person. The disease is vaccine-preventable, with vaccination providing the most effective protection.
Back in the Assembly, the member representing Dawakin Tofa Constituency, Saleh Ahmad, urged the government to intensify vaccination and other preventive measures, warning that diphtheria is highly contagious and could spread rapidly to neighbouring communities.
The Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Husseini, called on the state government to invoke the Health Protection Law to contain the outbreak.
According to Husseini, the law empowers the government to provide emergency relief and free healthcare, as well as restrict movement and isolate affected areas where necessary during outbreaks of infectious diseases.
The House subsequently adopted the motion and directed its Committee on Health to engage with the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the law and the provision of emergency relief to affected communities.
