Nigeria has recorded 216 diphtheria cases and 40 deaths, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC.
Dr Bola Lawal, Lead of the Diphtheria/Pertussis Technical Working Group, NCDC, confirmed that the confirmed cases were reported in four states: Kano (211), Yobe (two), Lagos (two), and Osun (two).
NAN reports that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.