Authorities in several West African countries are trying to manage their huge diphtheria outbreaks, including in Nigeria where a top health official said Thursday that millions are being vaccinated to cover wide gaps in immunity against the disease.
At least 573 people out of the 11,640 diagnosed with the disease in Nigeria have died since the current outbreak started in December 2022, though officials estimate the toll -- now on the decline because of treatment efforts -- could be much higher across states unable to detect many cases.
In Niger 37 people had died out of the 865 cases as of October, while Guinea has reported 58 deaths out of 497 since its outbreak started in June.
"As far as the history that I am aware of, this is the largest outbreak that we have had," Ifedayo Adetifa, head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, told The Associated Press.
The highly contagious bacterial infection has been reported in 20 of Nigeria's 36 states so far.
A major driver of the high rate of infection in the region has been a historically wide vaccination gap, the French medical organization Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said in a statement on Tuesday.
In Nigeria, only 42 per cent of children under 15 years old are fully protected from diphtheria, according to a government survey, while Guinea has a 47 per cent immunization rate -- both far below the 80 to 85 per cent rate recommended by the World Health Organization to maintain community protection.
The fate of the affected countries is worsened by the global shortages of the diphtheria vaccine as demand has increased to respond to outbreaks, the MSF said.
"We're not seeing vaccination happen, not at the scale that is needed," said Dr. Dagemlidet Tesfaye Worku, emergency medical program manager for MSF in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. "What is needed is a truly massive scale-up of vaccination, as soon as possible."
The Nigerian government is ramping up vaccination for targeted populations while assisting states to boost their capacity to detect and manage cases, said Adetifa, the Nigeria CDC head.
But several states continue to struggle, including Kano, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of cases in Nigeria but has only two diphtheria treatment centres, according to Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, the state's top health official.
"Once people have to travel or move significant distances to access treatment, that becomes a challenge," Adetifa said.
Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
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Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
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With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of 鈥 and captured by 鈥 a feature film.
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A massive mudslide closed the freeway south of the Canada-U.S. border in Bellingham, Wash. Sunday.
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity 鈥 and it often is. But it鈥檚 become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.
Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
Voters in Uruguay headed to the polls to choose a new president on Sunday in a race that defies regional trends of bitter division and democratic erosion.
Russian forces thwarted an attempt at another cross-border incursion by Ukraine into southwestern Russia, a local official reported Sunday.
Fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces ran riot in east-central Sudan in a multi-day attack that killed more than 120 people in one town.
Voters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, started going to the polls Sunday in a mayoral race pitting incumbent Mayor Ricardo Nunes against lawmaker Guilherme Boulos.
How Iran chooses to respond could determine whether the region spirals further toward all-out war or holds steady at an already destabilizing level of violence.
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RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says there has been a 鈥渟ignificant reduction鈥漷o the public safety threat since six Indian diplomatic officials were expelled from the country last week.
Minister Gary Anandasangaree has apologized to a group of Ontario First Nations for mismanagement of their money over a century ago.
Health Canada released an advisory last week that warns against the use of baby walkers available on eBay.ca, saying the products may pose a risk of injury and that baby walkers are banned in Canada.
Whole Foods Market is joining the growing list of brands whose frozen waffles have been recalled in Canada this week because of possible listeria contamination.
Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the bat's ecological importance.
Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are cracking down on a troubling spread of child sexual abuse imagery created through artificial intelligence technology 鈥 from manipulated photos of real children to graphic depictions of computer-generated kids.
The search for a popular tortoise that went missing from his home in Piedmont is over after his owner said he came home.
'Venom: The Last Dance' showed less bite than expected at the box office, collecting US$51 million in its opening weekend, according to studio estimates.
Actor Timothee Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, a well-attended event that drew an order to disperse from police and at least one arrest.
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Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: Bank of Canada, GDP figures, and results for Enbridge, Parkland, and Imperial Oil.
Natural gas producers in Western Canada have white-knuckled it through months of depressed prices, with the expectation that their fortunes will improve when LNG Canada comes online in the middle of next year.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the world has become more prone to supply shocks which create more risks to inflation, but the central bank is in a better place to deal with them now that inflation is under control.
British chef Jamie Oliver is asking for help to solve the mystery of a missing award-winning cheddar, worth US$390,000.
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of 鈥 and captured by 鈥 a feature film.
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The Indiana Fever fired coach Christie Sides on Sunday, the organization announced.
Real Madrid, the Spanish league and the local government condemned racist insults against Barcelona's player Lamine Yamal during Saturday's 'El Clasico.'
Based on initial appearances, there are signs indicating the automobile industry is in healthy shape 鈥 for now.
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An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
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Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
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A male has been taken to the hospital with serious injuries following a shooting on Sunday night in Toronto鈥檚 downtown east area.
Toronto鈥檚 100 public library branches will be open to the public seven days a week, year-round by July 2026, the city鈥檚 mayor announced on Sunday.
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A pedestrian is dead after she was hit by a vehicle early Sunday morning in north-central Edmonton.
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The King's representative to Canada is in Alberta for her first official visit to the province.
With a provincial election announcement expected Sunday, Nova Scotia鈥檚 political party leaders have announced events.
Water service is temporarily shut down near 6135 Almon Street in Halifax.
Queen鈥檚 District RCMP in Nova Scotia is investigating a single-vehicle fatal collision that occurred Saturday on Highway 103 in Port Mouton, N.S.
Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after they say a man was attacked by someone with a machete early Friday morning.
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Candidates across Saskatchewan are making their final pitches to potential voters as the 2024 election campaign is quickly approaching its end.
The Regina Thunder fell to the Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) semi-finals 鈥 as it attempted to secure a chance at the national title.
On the eve of Saskatchewan鈥檚 provincial election, NDP Leader Carla Beck and her party hosted a final rally in Regina, thanking supporters and sharing a positive outlook ahead of Monday鈥檚 return to the polls.
Ghosts and ghouls put their golfing skills to the test at Merry-Hill Golf Club鈥檚 annual Scary-Hill event on Sunday.
Police are investigating after a Guelph home was broken into early Saturday morning.
Mothers, mothers-to-be and families came together on Sunday at the Womb to Walking Baby Show for shopping, services and fun.
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Saskatoon fire crews responded to a major house fire on the 400 block of 24th Street West on Friday evening.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will be in Sudbury on Monday, his office says.
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper with a woman's first name in recent days as the Republican presidential nominee focuses his closing message on a hypermasculine appeal to men.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
Trillium Care in Norwich, Ont. has announced they will be closing their facilities, citing 鈥渁n emergency lack of financial resources necessary to sustain daily operations.鈥
Two new interchanges have opened in St. Thomas, Ont. but one main artery is set to close Monday for construction.
Huntsville OPP and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) are conducting a homicide investigation after three individuals were found dead in a Huntsville neighbourhood Friday evening.
Bracebridge OPP are searching for two suspects who allegedly broke into a Gravenhurst jewelry store early Saturday morning.
A man was charged after allegedly crashing into a parked OPP cruiser in Tay Township early Sunday morning.
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Police have charged a man with robbery after an incident Saturday afternoon in Chatham.
Donated and reusable household items piled up in trucks outside the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre Saturday afternoon in an effort to divert goods from the landfill.
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There were tense moments at a ferry terminal outside Victoria, B.C., on Friday after the lion鈥檚 share of standby spots on an early sailing were claimed by 鈥渁ssured loading鈥 passengers 鈥 leaving regular customers who had been waiting for hours out of luck.
Hulitan Early Years Centre is a brand new, 48-seat childhood learning centre in Colwood. It was built to support Indigenous children throughout the capital region.
More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
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A tentative agreement has been reached between the City of Lethbridge and more than 900 employees belonging to CUPE Local 70.
The Hurricanes will be happy to be back home in Lethbridge Saturday night after losing their third in a row on the road Friday night, a 4-1 decision to the Broncos in Swift Current.
About 15,000 students are enrolled at Lethbridge鈥檚 post-secondary schools, and now the city is working with those schools to try to find ways to get them s to stick around a while.
A female athlete from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., achieved two big goals at the 2024 World Triathlon championships in Spain last weekend.
Creditors have moved to take ownership of most of the properties in northern Ontario owned by a group of 11 insolvent companies.
Ontario Provincial Police have been cleared in the case of a woman who crashed her vehicle intentionally while she was high on drugs and fled into the woods earlier this year.
Teams are facing off in a new eastern Newfoundland hockey league aiming to bring competitive play 鈥 and a few extra years on the ice 鈥 for young women in the province.
Investigators found the remains of a 77-year-old American man on Wednesday at the scene of a fire that destroyed a hotel in western Newfoundland earlier on the weekend.
Police in western Newfoundland say a 77-year-old man visiting the province from Kansas is missing after a fire at a hotel in Deer Lake, N.L.
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