The Zamfara State Ministry of Health has recorded 44 deaths following an outbreak of diphtheria in parts of the state.

The State Director of Public Health, Dr Yusuf Haske, disclosed this in an interview in Gusau on Monday.

Haske said the ministry had recorded 367 clinically suspected cases, with more than 320 patients successfully treated and discharged.

He explained that laboratory tests conducted on samples from suspected patients confirmed the presence of the diphtheria-causing organism after the samples were analysed at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja.

Following the confirmation, the state government, on the directive of Governor Dauda Lawal, declared the outbreak and activated the Incident Management System to coordinate the response.

He said the response included the activation of rapid response teams at the state and local government levels, as well as case management across the state’s 14 local government areas.

According to him, general hospitals across the state have established isolation centres for diphtheria patients, while Gusau Local Government Area, which recorded the highest number of cases, has about four treatment centres.

Haske said 320 patients had so far been treated and discharged, with oral medication provided for continued treatment at home.

He, however, attributed the continued spread of the disease partly to active community transmission, noting that children between the ages of six and 10 were among the most affected.

The health director said the Ministry of Health advised the Ministry of Education to take measures to reduce transmission, leading to the decision to extend school resumption by two weeks.

He said the extension would allow health authorities to intensify case management, surveillance, community engagement, health education and other preventive measures.

Haske expressed optimism that the situation would improve, noting that although the number of cases was still increasing, deaths had reduced and many patients were responding positively to treatment.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and seek immediate medical attention when they notice symptoms associated with diphtheria.

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has extended the resumption of public and private schools by two weeks following the outbreak.

The Commissioner for Education, Abdulmalik Gajam, announced the extension on Monday in Gusau.

Gajam said the decision followed a health advisory from the Ministry of Health and was aimed at protecting pupils, students, teachers and the wider school community.

He said the extension would enable health and education authorities to strengthen disease surveillance, contact tracing, vaccination verification, public sensitisation and other preventive measures.

The commissioner directed school proprietors, heads of schools and management boards to comply with the directive and encouraged schools to clean and decontaminate their premises and provide adequate handwashing facilities.

He announced Monday, September 28, as the tentative new resumption date, subject to further advice from the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders.