The European Union has released 75 million naira in Humanitarian funds to prevent the spread of diphtheria in Nigeria
In a statement, the EU noted that the gesture was in response to the significant increase in diphtheria cases recorded since the beginning of 2023 in Nigeria especially the most affected communities in Kano, Katsina, Lagos and Osun states.
According to the statement, the assistance will target over one million people with focus on vulnerable people at risk of diphtheria, those living in sheltered communities or hard-to-reach locations.
The statement added that the funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the disaster relief emergency fund of the international federation of red cross and red crescent societies.
On 20 January 2023, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) officially declared an outbreak of diphtheria in Kano and Lagos states after several suspected cases appeared a month earlier.
The disease then spread rapidly to other states. From 136 cases in the first week of 2023, the country now records a total of 733 suspected cases. Children aged between 5 and 18 years are the most vulnerable group.
