Diphtheria Surveillance Dashboard in Kano
Author : MSF WaCA, Med Department, Epidemiology
Cases were low and fairly stable in early 2025. From about Week 25, cases started to rise, with a sharp increase from around Week 38 and a peak in Weeks 41-48. After Week 48, cases fell slightly but stayed high through Week 52. In Week 1 of 2026, cases remain high, showing that transmission is still ongoing.
Most cases occurred among people aged 5 years and above. This group showed an earlier and much stronger increase in cases, especially from Week 38. Cases in children under 5 years remained much lower, with only a small rise during peak weeks. The CFR fluctuated widely earlier in the year when case numbers were low. During the peak of transmission and into early 2026, the CFR decreased and became more stable, suggesting improved case detection and management. DAT administration started around Week 40, increased rapidly during the peak weeks, and remained ongoing into 2026.
Higher attack rates remain concentrated in LGAs around Kano Municipal, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas such as Ungogo. Transmission continues in several LGAs, while others report few or no recent cases, showing that the pattern of spread is changing over time. Case-fatality rates vary widely between LGAs, often due to small numbers of cases or delays in accessing care. Crude mortality remains highest in central LGAs. Overall, the spatial distribution of these indicators confirms that the epidemic is dynamic and still evolving.
The highest number of diphtheria cases was consistently reported in Ungogo, Nasarawa, Gwale, Dala, and Kumbotso.
| LGA | Cases (2026-W01) | Deaths (2026-W01) | Cases (2025-W52-2026-W01) | Deaths (2025-W52-2026-W01) | AR (2025-W52-2026-W01, per 100,000) | CFR (2025-W52-2026-W01, %) | Total cases (2025-2026) | Total deaths (2025-2026) | CFR (2025-2026, %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ungogo | 47 | 0 | 102 | 0 | 15.06 | 0 | 1314 | 78 | 5.94 |
| Nasarawa | 42 | 1 | 83 | 2 | 7.59 | 2.41 | 962 | 60 | 6.24 |
| Dala | 37 | 1 | 68 | 1 | 8.86 | 1.47 | 580 | 26 | 4.48 |
| Gwale | 32 | 1 | 55 | 1 | 8.29 | 1.82 | 613 | 29 | 4.73 |
| Kumbotso | 29 | 1 | 45 | 2 | 8.3 | 4.44 | 492 | 38 | 7.72 |
| Fagge | 27 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 10.98 | 0 | 329 | 14 | 4.26 |
| Kano Municipal | 9 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 2.99 | 0 | 285 | 17 | 5.96 |
| Tarauni | 8 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 3.95 | 0 | 233 | 24 | 10.3 |
| Dawakin Kudu | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1.45 | 0 | 50 | 6 | 12 |
| Gezawa | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.97 | 0 | 88 | 6 | 6.82 |
| Out Of Area | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 19 | 41.3 |
| Dawakin Tofa | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.88 | 0 | 64 | 10 | 15.62 |
| Rimin Gado | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2.08 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Takai | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1.08 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Tudun Wada | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.47 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 12.5 |
| Minjibir | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.51 | 0 | 26 | 9 | 34.62 |
| Warawa | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.85 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 16.67 |
| Gabasawa | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.52 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 27.78 |
| Wudil | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.29 | 100 | 14 | 4 | 28.57 |
| Tsanyawa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sumaila | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.22 | 100 | 7 | 3 | 42.86 |
| Katagum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tofa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 12.5 |
| Garun Mallam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11.11 |
| Bichi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 75 |
| Kabo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kura | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 20.83 |
| Garko | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| Albasu | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kiru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 40 | 28.37 |
| Madobi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 16.67 |
| Gaya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| Bebeji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Dambatta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 18.18 |
| Bunkure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 50 |
| Bagwai | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| Rano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| Kibiya | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 50 |
| Makoda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ajingi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rogo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shanono | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doguwa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 33.33 |
| Gwarzo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karaye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kunchi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garun Malam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 253 | 6 | 468 | 8 | 2.72 | 1.71 | 5423 | 419 | 7.73 |
During Weeks 52 of 2025 and Week 1 of 2026, Ungogo continued to report the highest number of cases (102 cases) and remained the LGA with the highest attack rate (15.1 per 100,000), with no deaths reported during this period. Nasarawa, Dala, Gwale, and Kumbotso also reported high numbers of cases, confirming ongoing transmission in these mainly urban LGAs, although with lower attack rates and CFRs than Ungogo. Overall, transmission remains concentrated in a small number of high-burden LGAs, while the CFR during this period remained low (1.7%), suggesting improved case management and access to care.