After the worst diphtheria outbreak in recent history, UNICEF sent 9.3 million doses of vaccine to the states in Nigeria that were hit hardest.
UNICEF’s assistant for communications, Nchekwube Nwosu-Igbo, released a statement confirming that the dosages had been sent to the states of Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna, and Jigawa.
Four million doses were sent to Kano, the statement continued, the epicenter of the disease.
The government will receive an additional 4 million doses in the following weeks, the statement claims.
Over 11,500 instances have been suspected as a result of the outbreak, with 453 deaths and over 7,000 confirmed cases, the majority of them are youngsters, according to the statement.
It laid evident the gravity of the immunization situation in Nigeria by explaining that the majority of cases are children aged 4 to 15 who have not gotten even one dose of the essential vaccine.
The statement claims that UNICEF is giving immediate support to the Nigerian government in its efforts to address the outbreak, with the purchase of vaccines being a key aspect of this support.
The statement emphasized that Nigeria is home to an astounding 2.2 million children who haven’t received even a single dose of the vaccine, making it the second largest number such youngsters in the world after India. This is a harsh reminder of the necessity of immunization.
The statement stressed that UNICEF has taken immediate measures to substantially reduce the number, noting that every child has a right to be safe from treatable illnesses.
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