Photo: The Sun
Health authorities in Kano State have confirmed a fresh outbreak of diphtheria at First Lady's College, Mariri, in Kumbotso Local Government Area, with 12 cases clinically confirmed.
The Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Professor Muhammad Adamu Abbas, said the agency received the report on Wednesday and immediately deployed a Rapid Response Team to the all-girls boarding school, which has more than 2,000 students.
- 313 suspected cases were screened; 12 were clinically confirmed after active case searches
- One student with severe symptoms has been admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kano
- The agency says it does not have enough vaccine doses for the mass vaccination the school needs
How the Kano school outbreak was found
"We received the report on Wednesday and went there immediately for investigation and response aimed at curtailing further spread of the disease," Abbas said.
"We tested 313 suspected cases, out of which 12 were clinically confirmed. We conducted active case searches in the school and confirmed the cases."
Officials administered medication to suspected contacts and sensitised other students on the disease, according to the agency.
The vaccine shortage slowing the response
Abbas warned that vaccine supply is the major obstacle: "There is a need for massive vaccination in the school, which we presently do not have. We have to ask for more vaccines to administer to the students."
Reports citing the agency say Kano is seeking millions of additional diphtheria vaccine doses, as the state remains at the centre of Nigeria's continuing diphtheria burden.
What happens next
The response team remains at the school, and parents will be watching for the vaccine supply the agency has requested.
No death has been reported in this school cluster, and health officials say containment — isolation, contact treatment and vaccination — is the priority in the coming days.
Credit: The Sun and ThisDay, reporting the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, November 13-15, 2026.
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