By MUHAMMAD AUWAL

The Adamawa State Ministry of Health has recorded 85 cases of diphtheria, with 18 deaths, since January 2026, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Kadabiyu Jones, said. Jones said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Friday, describing diphtheria as a severe respiratory disease.

He said diphtheria was caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, adding that unvaccinated children were particularly vulnerable to the potentially deadly disease.

“We are battling with the outbreak of diphtheria in Adamawa.

“So far, from January to date, we have recorded almost 85 cases, with about 18 deaths,” he said.

According to him, all 18 deaths recorded in the state were children, mostly those under five years and those aged between five and 14 years.

Jones explained that although everybody was at risk of contracting diphtheria, unvaccinated children were more vulnerable because they lacked adequate protection against the disease.

The epidemiologist said the state government had taken measures to contain the outbreak, including prepositioning and distributing medicines and diphtheria antitoxin.

He said the medicines and antitoxin were being distributed to health facilities managing diphtheria cases across the state to support treatment and reduce fatalities.

Jones, however, said the state was currently running low on diphtheria antitoxin, which he described as critical to managing severe cases.

“From the National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC), we received only 50 vials of diphtheria antitoxin, and we have used them.

“We also gave some to a neighbouring state that was recording cases but did not have antitoxin.

“For now, we have far less stock of diphtheria antitoxin. We are running out of it,” he said.

Jones advised parents and caregivers to ensure that their children received routine immunisation to protect them against diphtheria and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

He urged anyone experiencing symptoms associated with diphtheria to seek immediate medical attention at the nearest health facility to prevent complications.

He listed symptoms of diphtheria to include fever, sore throat, swelling of the neck, commonly known as “bull neck”, and difficulty in breathing.

Jones warned that untreated diphtheria could result in death, urging residents to promptly seek medical attention whenever they noticed symptoms associated with the disease.

He also advised residents to maintain good personal hygiene and avoid crowded places, noting that diphtheria was contagious and could spread through respiratory droplets.

He urged members of the public to regularly wash their hands and ensure that their children received complete vaccination against the disease.

“We observe that most of the cases we are recording in the state are mostly children who are unvaccinated.

“People should try their best to take their children to health facilities for vaccination in order to protect them from this disease,” he said. (NAN)