LAGOS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's northwestern state of Kaduna on Friday declared an outbreak of diphtheria after recording some cases in a local government area since early July.
There have been reports that residents in some villages in the state's Kafanchan town exhibiting such symptoms as difficulty breathing, high fever, cough, general body weakness, sore throat and neck swelling, said Muhammad Shehu, a spokesperson of the state governor, in a statement.
Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that affects a person's nose, throat, and sometimes skin.
"Upon learning about the unfortunate loss of lives in the affected communities, Senator Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna state, immediately directed the Kaduna State Ministry of Health to send an emergency team to investigate these cases," Shehu said without elaboration.
The state government is taking measures to contain the disease, including equipping local hospitals for proper management, active case searches, contact tracing, and intensive community sensitization in all affected communities and surrounding areas, he said.
Local media reported earlier that an unknown respiratory tract infection has killed 10 children, aged between 3 and 13 years, in Kafanchan town since early July.
This came weeks after the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement of an outbreak of diphtheria in the Federal Capital Territory following the first case and death of a four-year-old child in June. ■
