Thursday, August 29, 2024 -A new outbreak of diphtheria has claimed the lives of more than 40 people, mostly children, in Kano State.
According to the Daily Trust, several
dozen others have been hospitalised due to the disease.
When the publication visited the Infectious
Disease Hospital (IDH) on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, all three wards were
filled with patients, and many others were waiting in line to see a doctor.
An anonymous hospital official, who
requested to remain unnamed due to media restrictions, reported a high daily
death toll from the outbreak.
“For the past two weeks, there have been
daily fatalities from this disease,” the official said. “Every day, doctors are
seeing a large number of patients. If you visit in the morning or evening, you
will find dozens of victims waiting for treatment. The hospital has been
continuously busy since the outbreak began," the official said.
The official explained that the hospital is
overwhelmed because many local government area hospitals lack the necessary
facilities to manage such cases.
“Most patients are referred here because
our facility is the most equipped to handle infectious diseases,” the source
added
Samira Danzaki, a mother whose daughter is
receiving treatment at the hospital, told the publication that she has been at
the facility for two days.
“I brought my daughter here on Sunday after
she developed a severe fever and her neck swelled. We were referred to this
hospital, and thankfully, she is responding to treatment,” Danzaki said.
Another patient in the queue reported
experiencing severe throat issues after initially suffering from catarrh.
“I came here because my condition worsened,
and I am now having difficulty with my throat,” the patient said.
When contacted, Samira Sulaiman, the Public Relations Officer of
the State Hospital Management Board, neither confirmed nor denied the report,
the publication said.
She stated that management is holding an emergency meeting on the
issue and promised to provide a communique.
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