Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Seventeen people have died from diphtheria in Niger State after 124 cases were recorded across three local government areas in the past seven months, the state government has said.
The Commissioner for Health, Murtala Bagana, disclosed the figures on Friday during the Second Quarter Press Parley organised by the state Ministry of Information and Orientation in Minna.
Bagana said 103 patients had been treated and discharged, while one patient was still receiving treatment following the identification of three new cases.
The affected local government areas are Bida, Suleja and Shiroro.
The commissioner said the government was strengthening disease surveillance, case management, immunisation and public awareness to contain the outbreak.
He urged parents and caregivers to ensure that children receive all recommended vaccines, stressing that routine immunisation remains one of the most effective ways of preventing diphtheria, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Bagana also disclosed that the state government was targeting the completion and operationalisation of 100 of the 274 Tier-Two Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) currently being upgraded across the state by the end of 2026.
According to Bagana, accident victims are entitled to free treatment within the first 24 hours of presentation at designated health facilities, while victims of snake bites are also eligible for free treatment during the same period.
Caesarean Section operations are also being provided free of charge at five designated centres across the state, he said.
Routine vaccines, he added, are available free of charge at primary healthcare centres.
Bagana urged parents to take advantage of the services and ensure that children receive their recommended vaccinations.
He said the Ministry of Health was also working to enforce relevant provisions of the Child Rights Act and other regulations to ensure children have access to routine immunisation.
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