835,000 children vaccinated against diphtheria in Kano

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders said it has concluded its diphtheria emergency intervention in Kano State after administering more than 835,000 vaccines to children.

The humanitarian medical organisation said the intervention marked the end of its three years of support during one of Nigeria’s largest recorded diphtheria outbreaks.

It said it worked with the state Ministry of Health where it carried out two rounds of mass vaccination campaigns between April and June 2026, reaching 348,080 children in the first round and 486,948 in the second across 20 wards.

MSF Project Coordinator in Kano, Abdoul Aziz Djibrilla, said the outbreak placed enormous pressure on families and health facilities, with more than 100 children admitted daily at the peak between late 2025 and early 2026.“Although cases have declined in recent months, mainly due to mass vaccination campaigns, diphtheria remains a serious health threat driven by low immunisation coverage, overcrowding, delayed care seeking, and malnutrition,” he warned.

He said since the start of the response in 2023, MSF treated 14,707 children in its treatment centres and supported facilities, while also strengthening referral systems, disease surveillance, and community engagement.

According to the State Ministry of Health, the state recorded 31,900 suspected cases and over 1,260 deaths between March 2022 and March 2026, representing a significant proportion of Nigeria’s 65,759 suspected cases and 2,229 deaths reported nationally by the NCDC.

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