Posted by 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.
The dosages were sent to the states of Kano, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Kaduna, and Jigawa, according to a statement released by UNICEF media assistant Nchekwube Nwosu-Igbo.
Four million doses were sent to Kano, the statement continued, the epicenter of the disease.
In the next several weeks, the government would reportedly receive “an additional four million doses” as stated in the announcement.
There have been over 11,500 suspected cases, the statement says, and 453 deaths from the outbreak. There have also been over 7,000 confirmed cases, the majority of whom are youngsters.
It laid evident the gravity of the vaccination situation in Nigeria by stating that the majority of cases are children aged 4 to 15 who have not gotten even one dose of the essential vaccine.
UNICEF is reportedly helping the Nigerian government quickly get vaccines to aid in their response to the outbreak. This is according to a statement released by the organization.
According to the statement, “the devastating impact of the diphtheria outbreak is a grim reminder of the importance of vaccination,” with the second biggest unvaccinated kid population in the world residing in Nigeria.
UNICEF has taken immediate measures to substantially lower this figure, the organization said in a statement, because “every child deserves protection from preventable diseases.”