States Consider Facemasks As Diphtheria Cases Escalate

As diphtheria spreads further across the country, the federal government has urged the affected 19 states to reintroduce the use of facemasks.

The executive director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, gave the advice yesterday at the Diphtheria Outbreak Response press briefing, in Abuja.

He explained that as Diphtheria is an airborne disease, people can reduce air contact with the bacteria by adopting non-pharmaceutical interventions such as the use of facemasks, handwashing and physical distancing from affected persons.

However, he said this should be done in a way that does not stigmatize nor discriminate against sick people.

Shuaib said six states are bearing the brunt of the outbreak, accounting for a staggering 97 percent of all reported cases.

The states are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Kaduna, and Bauchi, while  Kano alone carries the weight of over 84 percent of the cases, making it the epicentre of this outbreak.

He said the burden falls disproportionately on young people with over 73 percent of the cases occurring in children aged one to 14 years.