Rufai Garba: Diphtheria Surge Is Result Of Immunity Gap Built Up Over Years
Dr. Rufai Garba of Nigeria's National Primary Health Care Development Agency attributes the current diphtheria surge to a long-standing immunity gap caused by low vaccination coverage. He emphasizes the need for increased investment in outreach and mobile vaccination services to reach herd immunity.
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Public health crises in developing nations often stem from systemic infrastructure challenges, making this a critical issue for global health policy.
Dr Rufai Garba says Nigeria’s diphtheria surge stems from an immunity gap caused by years of inadequate childhood vaccination coverage.
The Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Rufai Garba, has attributed the recent surge in diphtheria cases across Nigeria to an immunity gap built up over years of inadequate vaccination, stressing that the disease is preventable through routine immunisation.
Following reports of 424 diphtheria cases in Katsina, 39 in Zamfara and 29 deaths in Plateau State, where schools have been shut over the outbreak, Garba said above 80 per cent vaccination coverage is needed to achieve herd immunity.
“What we are seeing now is the result of what we call an immunity gap over the years. This is not something that started today or yesterday because children were not vaccinated yesterday. It is an immunity gap.
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