The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has provided one million euros (N847 million) to tackle the diphtheria outbreak in the Northeast and Northwest regions of Nigeria.
To address the disease outbreak in Nigeria, the bloc has allocated the funding to support the most affected populations and halt the spread of the disease.
In a statement issued by the EU Embassy in Abuja, the group announced its commitment, stating that the 34 million euros made available in June 2023 will be utilized by the EU to combat diseases and climate-related issues, among other priorities.
This amount is in addition to the 150,000 euros previously granted to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Response Emergency amount (DREF) in March 2023 to assist in controlling the outbreak.
With this additional EU financing, UNICEF and the medical non-governmental organization, ALIMA, will be able to provide support to frontline health services, including staff and technical assistance to enhance surveillance and case detection, treat cases, raise community awareness, and aid in vaccine procurement.
“Nigeria is currently experiencing the world’s second-largest diphtheria outbreak with 10,322 confirmed and 16,616 suspected cases since the beginning of the year. Kano State is the epicenter of the outbreak with 8,447 confirmed cases and 589 deaths. The most affected states are Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, and Kaduna, which collectively account for 96 percent of all suspected cases. Despite control efforts since the start of the outbreak in late 2022, the disease has gradually spread to other states in the Northwest and Northeast regions. Children aged 1 to 14 years are the most affected, representing 72 per cent of all confirmed cases. Analysis of the vaccination status reveals that over 60 percent of all suspected cases have not been vaccinated,” the statement highlighted.