By Ibrahim Muhammad
The Kano State House of Assembly has called for urgent government intervention following a diphtheria outbreak that has reportedly killed more than 50 children in Rano Local Government Area of the state.
The alarm was raised on Monday by the member representing Rano Constituency, Hon. Ibrahim Malami, in a motion of urgent public importance presented before the House.
Malami said the affected communities include Rurum A, Rurum B and Sabuwar Kaura, all in Rurum Ward of the local government area.
He disclosed that the medical department of the local government had commenced emergency response measures, with additional support from his office through the provision of essential drugs.
The situation, however, took a more worrying turn when the member representing Kiru Constituency, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, reported fresh cases in Kwana Dangora, Dangora and Yelwa communities.
Tasiu also disclosed that two siblings from the same family died within a single day, describing the incident as a disturbing indication of the severity of the outbreak.
Concerned about the possible spread of the disease to other communities, lawmakers called for the establishment of a coordinated emergency response committee to oversee disease surveillance, treatment, vaccination and public awareness.
They proposed that the response should cover Rano, Kiru, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure and Bebeji local government areas.
Also speaking, the member representing Dawakin Tofa Constituency, Saleh Ahmad, warned that diphtheria could spread rapidly in communities with low immunisation coverage.
He therefore called for an aggressive vaccination campaign, particularly in areas considered vulnerable to the outbreak.
The Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Husseini, urged the state government to activate the provisions of the Kano State Health Protection Law.
According to him, the law empowers the government to provide free emergency healthcare and take other extraordinary measures necessary to contain infectious disease outbreaks.
The lawmakers stressed the need for immediate and coordinated action to prevent further deaths and halt the spread of diphtheria across the affected communities.
