Save Children from Nigeria's Diphtheria Outbreak

Dear Donors, 

Diphtheria is preventable, yet children in Nigeria are still becoming sick and dying from this disease.

 For a parent, what may begin as a fever and sore throat can quickly become frightening. Diphtheria can cause swelling in the neck, difficulty swallowing and dangerous breathing problems. Without early diagnosis and proper treatment, a child's condition can become severe.

Nigeria continues to record thousands of diphtheria cases. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 12,136 suspected cases and 10,000 confirmed cases were reported nationwide through epidemiological week 28 of 2026, with 314 deaths recorded during the same period. These numbers represent children, parents and families who have had to face a disease that vaccination can prevent.

The risk remains serious for children who have never been vaccinated or have not completed their vaccinations. The World Health Organization reports that more than 2 million children in Nigeria are under-immunized, including children who have received no vaccine doses at all. Reaching these children is one of the reasons this project is so necessary.

In Kano, where communities have carried a heavy burden from Nigeria's diphtheria outbreak, prevention cannot stop simply because fewer cases may be reported at a particular time. An unvaccinated child remains vulnerable. A suspected case that is identified late can become harder to treat, and an infected person can expose others within the household and community.

Through Save Children from Nigeria's Diphtheria Outbreak, we want to help reach children and families where they live. Our planned work includes community screening, vaccination support, early identification of suspected cases, referral for treatment, health education and supplies for frontline health workers.

 There is also a simple message we want families to know: early medical attention can save a child's life. Parents and caregivers need to recognize warning signs and know where to seek help. Communities also need accurate information about vaccination and how diphtheria spreads.

This work is about reaching a child before that child becomes another case in a disease report. It is about finding an unvaccinated child before infection finds them. And when a child becomes sick, it is about helping that family seek medical care as early as possible.

To all our donors and supporters, thank you for standing with us. Your support gives us the opportunity to take this message into communities and work toward protecting children who remain at risk.

We ask you to continue sharing this project with friends, families and others who may want to help. Every child protected from diphtheria is one child spared from a disease that vaccination can prevent.

Thank you for caring about the children behind these numbers.

Adaego Imoh
Project Leader