An international organisation, the Global Vaccine Alliance, on Wednesday, pledged its commitment to work closely with the Federal Government in its response to the diphtheria outbreak in the country.
Gavi also commended the efforts of the coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, in establishing an emergency task force for combating the ongoing outbreak.
The organisation said the establishment of the task force was a critical step in the efforts to arrest diphtheria in the country.
The Director of High Impact Countries, at Gavi, Tokunbo Oshin, in a press statement, said the gravity of the outbreak required swift and coordinated action from partners in support of the government’s comprehensive response.
Oshin said, “We remain committed to working closely with the Nigerian government in partnership with all technical and resource partners to support its comprehensive response.”
He noted that vaccination was a critical preventive measure against this highly infectious disease, so no child must be left at risk.
The PUNCH reports that Nigeria has recorded 13,204 suspected cases of the disease as of October 3. Out of the suspected cases, 8,406 were confirmed from 114 local government areas across 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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