“Diphtheria is a highly contagious but vaccine-preventable disease, caused by a bacterium which can be fatal in 5 to 10% of cases, with a higher mortality rate in young children.
In response, WHO is supporting the government of Nigeria to improve vaccination, surveillance, case management and risk communication.
We are also working with partners to increase access to vaccines and antitoxin.
This outbreak and others highlight the need to increase routine vaccination to stop these outbreaks before they start” – @DrTedros