The Kano State House of Assembly has called for urgent government intervention following a reported diphtheria outbreak in Rano Local Government Area, where more than 50 children have allegedly died from the disease.
The appeal was made on Monday during plenary after the lawmaker representing Rano Constituency, Ibrahim Muhammad, raised the matter under a motion of urgent public importance.
Muhammad said the outbreak had become particularly severe in the Ridin and Sabuwar Kaura communities, resulting in the deaths of over 50 children.
According to him, while some emergency measures had already been introduced, including the supply of medicines and deployment of health workers, additional intervention was urgently required to prevent further deaths.
He appealed to the state Governor, Abba Yusuf, and the Commissioner for Health to provide more emergency assistance to the affected communities.
The lawmaker expressed concern that the outbreak had resurfaced after a similar incident reportedly claimed several lives in the area last year.
Supporting the motion, the member representing Kiru Constituency, Usman Abubakar Tasiu, said the disease had spread from Rano to parts of Kiru Local Government Area, including Kwarin Dangora, Dangora town and Yelwa.
Tasiu disclosed that two children belonging to an All Progressives Congress youth leader in Kiru town reportedly died from the disease within the same day.
He urged the state government to establish an emergency response committee to coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak across affected local government areas, including Rano, Tudun Wada, Kibiya, Bunkure, Bebeji and Kiru.
Another member, Saleh Ahmad, who represents Dawakin Tofa Constituency, called for intensified vaccination and other preventive measures, warning that diphtheria was highly contagious and could spread quickly to neighbouring communities.
The Majority Leader of the House, Lawan Husseini, also urged the government to activate the provisions of the state’s Health Protection Law to tackle the outbreak.
Husseini said the law empowers the government to provide emergency relief and free medical treatment, while also allowing authorities to isolate affected areas and restrict movement where necessary during infectious disease outbreaks.
Following the debate, the House adopted the motion and directed its Committee on Health to liaise with the Ministry of Health on measures to implement the law and provide emergency assistance to the affected communities.