•Diphtheria outbreak and Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State
A wave of grief has swept through parts of Kano State following a reported outbreak of diphtheria that claimed the lives of more than 50 children.
The development dominated proceedings at the Kano State House of Assembly, prompting the lawmakers to call on Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration to activate emergency measures to stem the tide, reports Channels TV.
At the close of deliberations, the House unanimously adopted the resolution and mandated its Committee on Health to work with the Ministry of Health to ensure immediate implementation of emergency interventions in the affected areas.
The legislature declared the outbreak a matter of urgent public concern during today’s plenary, warning that the disease has moved beyond isolated communities and now threatens several local government areas in the state.
Raising the alarm, the member representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, said the hardest-hit communities are Ridin and Sabuwar Qaura, where dozens of families have been devastated by the loss of their children.
He maintained that while health officials had begun responding, the intervention remained inadequate for the scale of the crisis.
Muhammad urged Governor Abba Yusuf and the Ministry of Health to deploy additional medical personnel, medicines, and emergency relief to halt further fatalities.
The debate took a more disturbing turn when Usman Abubakar Tasiu, representing Kiru Constituency, disclosed that fresh infections had been recorded in Kwana Dangora, Dangora and Yelwa.
He recounted the death of two siblings from the same family within a single day, describing it as a painful reflection of the outbreak’s severity.
Concerned by the expanding spread, lawmakers proposed the creation of a coordinated emergency response committee to oversee surveillance, treatment, vaccination and public awareness across Rano, Kiru, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure and Bebeji.
Also contributing, Saleh Ahmad of Dawakin Tofa Constituency cautioned that diphtheria spreads rapidly without widespread immunisation, calling for an aggressive vaccination campaign in vulnerable communities.
The Majority Leader, Lawan Husseini, urged the executive to activate the Kano State Health Protection Law, saying its provisions empower the government to provide free emergency healthcare and other extraordinary measures needed to contain infectious disease outbreaks.
