The Kano State House of Assembly has called on the state government to urgently intervene in a diphtheria outbreak that has reportedly killed more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area.The alarm was raised during a plenary session after Ibrahim Malami, representing Rano Constituency, presented a motion of urgent public importance on the outbreak. He said the deaths were concentrated in Rurum A, Rurum B and Sabuwar Kaura, all in Rurum Ward.
Malami disclosed that the medical department of Rano Local Government had already begun emergency intervention, while his office had provided medical drugs to support the response. However, he appealed to the state government to provide additional assistance because of the scale of the outbreak.
The situation may have spread beyond Rano. Usman Abubakar Tasiu, representing Kiru Constituency, said cases had also been reported in parts of Kiru Local Government Area, including Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa. He called for an emergency committee to coordinate the response across affected and vulnerable communities.
Another lawmaker, Saleh Ahmad, urged the government to intensify vaccination and other preventive measures, warning that diphtheria is contagious and can spread rapidly if not contained.
The Assembly’s Majority Leader, Lawan Husseini, called for the state government to invoke the Health Protection Law, which he said provides a framework for emergency healthcare, relief measures and restrictions that may be necessary during infectious-disease outbreaks.
The Assembly subsequently approved the motion and directed its Committee on Health to engage the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the law and the provision of emergency assistance to affected communities.
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