A family in Danbare New Layout, Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, has lost five children within one week to an illness suspected to be diphtheria.
The children, comprising three girls and two boys, reportedly died between October 1 and 7, 2026, raising concerns over a possible infectious disease outbreak in the community.
Their father, Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf, told journalists that two of the children, a boy and a girl, died on October 1, while the remaining three, comprising two girls and a boy, died on October 7.
Yusuf identified the deceased children as Sadiq, 13; Aisha, seven; Zainab, seven; Umar, six; and Aliyu, one year and six months old.
He said the tragedy had left the family in deep sorrow and appealed to the relevant health authorities to investigate the deaths urgently and establish the actual cause of the illness.
Yusuf also called for immediate intervention to protect surviving members of the family and other residents from possible infection.
Reacting to the incident, the director-general of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KNCDC), Professor Muhammad Adamu Abbas, said he would investigate the matter to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Abbas urged residents to report suspected cases of infectious diseases to the nearest health facility and seek medical attention rather than attempt to manage such illnesses at home.
He stressed that early detection, prompt reporting and appropriate treatment were essential to preventing avoidable deaths and curbing the spread of infectious diseases, including diphtheria.
However, as of the time of filing this report, health authorities had not publicly confirmed diphtheria as the cause of the five children’s deaths.