Abuja – February 7, 2025
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised alarm over the country’s ongoing battle with a diphtheria outbreak, which has spread across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the latest data released on the agency’s official website on Saturday, a staggering 41,336 suspected cases have been reported between Epidemiological Week 19 of 2022 and Epidemiological Week 4 of 2025.
Of these cases:
- 24,846 (60.1%) have been confirmed.
- 7,769 (18.8%) were discarded after testing.
- 3,546 (8.6%) are still pending classification.
- 5,175 (12.5%) remain unaccounted for due to incomplete data.
The outbreak has now spread to 350 local government areas, posing a severe public health challenge. The NCDC has urged increased vaccination efforts and strict public health measures to curb further transmission.
Health officials continue to monitor the situation, while emergency response teams are being deployed to the most affected areas.