EU pledges €1 million to tackle diphtheria epidemic in Nigeria

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has committed one million euros (equivalent to N847 million) to combat the diphtheria outbreak in the Northeast and Northwest regions of Nigeria.

This financial contribution is part of the EU’s broader initiative to address the disease outbreak in Nigeria, with a focus on supporting the most affected populations and halting the spread of the disease.

The EU Embassy in Abuja released a statement affirming the commitment, highlighting that the 34 million euros allocated in June 2023 will be utilized by the EU to address various health-related challenges, including diseases and climate-related issues.

This latest funding is in addition to the 150,000 euros previously provided 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 the additional EU funding, UNICEF and the medical non-governmental organization ALIMA will collaborate to support frontline health services. This support includes providing staff and technical assistance to enhance surveillance and case detection, treat affected individuals, raise community awareness, and facilitate vaccine procurement.

Nigeria is currently grappling with the world’s second-largest diphtheria outbreak, reporting 10,322 confirmed and 16,616 suspected cases since the beginning of the year. Kano State is the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for 8,447 confirmed cases and 589 deaths. The most affected states include Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, and Kaduna, collectively representing 96 percent of all suspected cases.

Despite control efforts initiated since the outbreak began in late 2022, the disease has progressively spread to other states in the Northwest and Northeast regions. Children aged 1 to 14 years are the most affected demographic, constituting 72 percent of all confirmed cases. An analysis of vaccination status reveals that over 60 percent of all suspected cases have not received vaccinations.