Niger is facing the first diphtheria epidemic in two decades in the country. An epidemic which has caused more than 200 deaths since it broke out last July, out of around 3,000 recorded cases, according to figures from the World Health Organization. This week, a vaccination campaign took place in the Zinder region, considered the epicenter of the epidemic.
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For this diphtheria vaccination campaign, led by the Nigerien Minister of Health, a thousand agents targeted nearly 300,000 children aged 0 to 14. The campaign began at the beginning of the week in Matamèye, a commune in the Zinder region, a region in which the diphtheria epidemic broke out, and which accounts for a little less than half of the recorded cases. Even if the disease now affects 7 of Niger’s 8 regions, specifies the World Health Organization, which supports the country in its response plan.
Dry cough, fever, neck swelling are some of the main symptoms of diphtheria caused by bacteria, which spreads quickly through sneezing and coughing. If left untreated, it can lead to serious cardiac or nervous complications, which can lead to paralysis and death.
For several months, the WHO has noted an unusual increase in the number of cases in two other West African countries: Nigeria and Guinea. The organization reminds that the best prevention remains vaccination.