Nigeria: European Union donates N75 million to Nigeria to stop the spread of diphtheria.

The European Union provides N75 million to Nigeria to stop the spread of diphtheria. 

This financing is a portion of the EU’s overall donation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF).

The European Union has allocated €150,000 (N75 million) in humanitarian money to stop the spread of the illness and help the hardest-hit communities in the states of Kano, Katsina, Lagos, and Osun in response to the sharp rise in diphtheria cases reported in Nigeria since the start of 2023. 

With the help of this EU funding, the Nigerian Red Cross will be able to provide immediate aid to communities that have already been affected by diphtheria as well as those who are at risk of contracting it. This will be done by raising awareness of the disease, promoting good hygiene, patient referral, and early case detection in affected areas.

Around 1,585,080 persons will be the direct and indirect targets of humanitarian aid, with a special emphasis on diphtheria-at-risk populations, sheltered communities, and difficult-to-reach areas. 

This financing is a portion of the EU’s overall donation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) (IFRC). 

Following the appearance of several suspected cases a month earlier, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) formally declared a diphtheria outbreak in the states of Kano and Lagos on January 20, 2023. The illness then quickly spread to neighbouring states. The nation now reports a total of 733 suspected cases, down from 136 instances in the first week of 2023, and laments 89 fatalities.

The outbreak is regarded as one of Nigeria’s most serious recent incidents. The most at risk age group is between 5 and 18-year-old children.