Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it has provided a 146-bed facility to complement the government’s effort to fight the deadly diphtheria disease in Kano State.
Kano tops the list of 20 states with 7,000 diphtheria cases out of about 15,060 recorded in the country, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
An MSF official in Kano, Dr Hashim Jumua Omer, said the NGO provided a 56-bed facility at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in the state and another 90-bed capacity at Murtala Muhammad Specialists Hospital (MMSH).
“So far, we have 90 medical personnel at MMSH and 53 at IDH. These people work 24/7,” he said.
Dr Omer also said though the virus affects all categories of age groups, children between 4-14 years are more vulnerable.
He appealed to parents to quickly report any suspected case of the disease to the hospital to avoid its further spread.