Kano Diphtheria Outbreak Claims Over 50 Children, Assembly Calls for Intervention

The Kano State House of Assembly has called on Governor Abba Yusuf to urgently intervene in a diphtheria outbreak that lawmakers say has killed more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area. The motion of urgent public importance was moved by the member representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, during Monday’s plenary presided over by the Speaker, Ismail Falgore. Muhammad said the outbreak was particularly severe in Ridin and Sabuwar Kaura communities, adding that although medication had been purchased and health workers deployed, additional emergency intervention was required. He urged the governor and Commissioner for Health to provide further medical support to the affected communities, noting that a similar outbreak had claimed several lives in the area last year. Another lawmaker, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, said the disease had also spread to communities in Kiru, including Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa, and disclosed that an APC youth leader in Kiru reportedly lost two children to the disease within one day.

The lawmakers called for a coordinated emergency response across affected local government areas, including Rano, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure, Bebeji and Kiru. Saleh Ahmad, representing Dawakin Tofa, urged the government to intensify vaccination and other preventive measures, warning that diphtheria is contagious and can spread rapidly. Majority Leader Lawan Husseini also called for the activation of the state’s Health Protection Law, which provides for emergency relief, free healthcare and measures to restrict the spread of infectious diseases. The House subsequently approved the motion and directed its Committee on Health to engage the Ministry of Health on implementing the law and providing emergency assistance to affected communities.

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