For many families in Rurum community in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State, seeking medical help for a sick child often comes only after the illness has become severe.

Some parents first turn to patent medicine sellers known in local parlance as ‘chemists’, while others rely on traditional healers or simply treat children at home, residents told Daily Trust. By the time some eventually reach a hospital, the children are already battling serious complications.

The practice is now being blamed for contributing to deaths linked to a diphtheria outbreak that has ravaged parts of Rano, with residents claiming that dozens of children have died in recent months.

The worst-hit communities include Rurum, Tashar Idi, Sabuwar Kaura and Ridin.

Daily Trust visited Rurum, one of the affected communities, where grieving parents and community leaders recounted how children who initially appeared to have fever or catarrh later developed severe throat problems and died within days.

The outbreak, which residents said has persisted in the area for nearly three years, became more deadly this year, particularly from June.

The member representing Rano constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Muhammad, drew attention to the crisis on Monday when he said at least 50 children had died in the local government.

Residents said the actual number could be higher because some deaths occurred at home and were never reported to health authorities.

‘How we lost our children’

For Ibrahim Lawal Maigoro, the loss of his daughter came after the family initially sought treatment from a ‘chemist’.

“She started with a fever, then her ear got swollen, and the ‘chemist’ gave us some drugs. But after two days, the swelling came back to her neck. Then she started vomiting. After two days of suffering, it became difficult for her to eat. They even put her on a drip, but she eventually died,” he said.

Maigoro said diphtheria had remained in the community for years, adding that his niece died of the disease two years ago while his friend’s daughter and several other children died recently.

Another parent, Umar Sadi Baduku, said Rurum had recorded the highest casualties in Rano.

“Apart from those who died, many also got infected. The hospitals are trying their best, but it is obvious that the thing is getting out of hand,” he said.

Baduku said his son’s illness also started suddenly at night.

“He started complaining of neck pain. I took him to a ‘chemist’ who advised me to take him to hospital in the morning. The hospital prescribed a three-day injection for him, and he started feeling better. Unknown to us, it was already eating deep into his throat. From there, it ran down to his stomach,” he said.

He said some children later developed severe symptoms, including bleeding.

“Even if we take them to hospital, we are usually given medications to be taken at home,” he lamented.

Both parents appealed to the government to provide proper treatment and improve access to healthcare in the communities.

“We are appealing to the government to help us with the right medication. People are already struggling with what to eat, let alone taking children to hospitals in the city,” Maigoro said.

‘About 10 children have died in Rurum’

The village head of Rurum, Malam Ado Yusuf, said the community had battled diphtheria in previous years, but the situation worsened in 2026.

“This is not the first time we are battling this disease. Even last year, we battled with it, though it killed only about three to four children. But this year, it’s been affecting children under 10 years old,” he said.

He said symptoms often begin with fever and throat pain before progressing rapidly.

Yusuf recalled attending the funeral of a five-year-old girl who died only a day after she appeared healthy.

He estimated that close to 10 children had died in Rurum alone, although he could not provide an exact figure.

According to him, some families initially took sick children to traditional healers, who mistook the illness for a mythical disease locally known as Yarwuya.

“Most of those who died last year were those who got medication from them. But this time around, we were sensitised to immediately report cases to hospital, as most people, especially women at home, used to mistake it for catarrh,” he said.

Despite the sensitisation, he said some families still wait two or three days before seeking medical help, often buying catarrh medicine from ‘chemists’.

“Whenever it affects any child, he will hardly survive beyond one week, as long as it affects the throat,” he said.

Yusuf said poor access to healthcare and bad roads had further complicated the situation.

He said Rurum lacked a health facility capable of handling the emergency and many residents could not afford to take their children to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) or the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in Kano city.

He also said poor roads made it difficult to reach hospitals in Rano and Tiga.

“It is a 20-kilometre journey, but bad roads make it difficult,” he said.

According to him, children taken to Rano General Hospital were often referred to Kano city, a journey many poor families could not afford.

“People are already struggling with what to eat, let alone taking them to hospital in the city. We are in a difficult situation that needs intervention,” he said.

Govt investigates reported deaths

The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) said it had commenced investigations into the reported deaths following suspected diphtheria cases in Rano.

The Director-General of KNCDC, Professor Muhammad Abbas, told Daily Trust that the state government had continued to provide medicines and other consumables for treatment, while the centre conducts reactive vaccination and preventive therapy for contacts whenever cases are detected.

He said 32 diphtheria cases had officially been recorded in Rano this year — 25 in August, six in July and one in May. Seven patients were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kano.

Abbas said an active case search conducted on August 19, following four reported cases on August 13, led to the identification of 10 additional cases and two deaths.

He attributed the difference between the officially recorded figures and the community’s claim of more than 50 deaths to late reporting and reliance on home treatment and traditional healers.

“Whenever children are treated at home or by herbalists instead of seeking medical attention, cases are missed, and deaths go unrecorded. We are conducting verbal autopsies by interviewing relatives of the deceased to establish whether they were caused by diphtheria or other illnesses,” he said.

The DG urged parents and caregivers to take children with suspected symptoms to health facilities immediately, warning that delayed treatment could result in severe complications and death.

He said Kano had recorded more than 38,000 suspected diphtheria cases since the outbreak began in 2022, with over 31,000 confirmed.

Abbas called for intensified vaccination campaigns and urged residents to report suspected infectious diseases promptly.

How diphtheria kills – Medical expert

Dr Aminu Mato Jitandutse of the Community Medicine Department at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital described diphtheria as a serious, vaccine-preventable bacterial infection caused mainly by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

He said the infection commonly affects the nose and throat, and spreads mainly through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, as well as close contact with infected people or contaminated materials.

“The toxin produced by the bacteria can damage the heart, nerves and other organs, making early recognition, treatment and prevention very important,” he said.

Symptoms include sore throat, painful swallowing, fever, weakness, swollen glands in the neck and, in severe cases, a markedly swollen “bull neck”.

Other signs include a thick greyish or whitish membrane over the tonsils or throat, hoarseness, cough, difficulty breathing and nasal discharge.

Severe disease can cause heart inflammation, abnormal heart rhythm, nerve damage, paralysis, kidney problems, airway obstruction and death.

Jitandutse stressed the importance of routine childhood vaccination and booster doses, as well as early identification and treatment of suspected cases.

He said confirmed cases should be isolated to reduce transmission, while close contacts should be assessed promptly and may require preventive antibiotics and vaccination.

He also advised regular handwashing, covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoiding the sharing of personal items and cleaning frequently touched surfaces. (Daily Trust)