Diphtheria outbreak: Zamfara records 44 deaths, suspends school resumption

Layer 1 The Zamfara Ministry of Health says it has recorded 44 deaths following an outbreak of diphtheria in parts of the state.

The State Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr Yusuf Haske, gave the update to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview in Gusau on Monday.

Haske’s update followed the extension of school resumption by the State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

He further disclosed that the health ministry had so far recorded 367 clinically suspected cases of diphtheria, with more than 320 patients successfully treated and discharged.

He explained that laboratory tests conducted on samples collected from suspected patients confirmed the presence of the diphtheria-causing organism.

Haske said the samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, where the diagnosis was further confirmed.