Four children have been killed by a fresh outbreak of diphtheria in the Mingibir Local Government Area of Kano State.

A statement issued on Thursday by Tasiu Yahaya Dadin-Duniya, the information officer of the local government, also revealed that 28 other children have been hospitalised, according to The PUNCH.

READ ALSO: Investigation Reveals Disease Breeding Grounds in the Wake of Diphtheria Outbreak in Kano

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that affects the nose, throat and, sometimes, the skin of people living in a dirty environment. Its symptoms include a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, red eyes and a swollen neck. In severe cases, a thick grey or white patch appears on the tonsils and/or at the back of the throat, causing difficulty breathing.

Since the outbreak of the disease in the country, it has killed and hospitalised many Nigerians.

As of February 2024, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) named diphtheria as one of the diseases that killed 711 Nigerians between 2022 and 2024.

READ ALSO: Sore Throat, Cough and Fever Could Be Signs You Have Diphtheria, a New Bacteria Infection of Public Concern

The NCDC also revealed that Nigeria has confirmed 16,248 cases of diphtheria since 2022. This number is expected to further increase with the recent outbreak in Kano.