Kano State has recorded more than 17,000 cases of childhood pneumonia, raising concerns over the spread of the disease and its impact on children across the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, disclosed this during the commemoration of World Pneumonia Day and World Diabetes Day in Kano on Thursday.
The statement was signed by the Ministry of Health’s Public Relations Officer, Nabilusi Abubakar K/Na’isa, and a copy was made available to the press in Kano.
Dr Yusuf said more than 300,000 children had been affected by pneumonia across Nigeria this year, warning that the disease could be life-threatening, particularly among young children.
He identified malnutrition as a major factor that increases children’s vulnerability to pneumonia and worsens the severity of the infection.
The commissioner said the state government had trained healthcare workers in specialised approaches to managing childhood illnesses to improve the quality of healthcare services and reduce pneumonia-related deaths.
According to him, the Kano State Government had intensified efforts to improve healthcare services for people living with diabetes through the provision of medical equipment and other interventions.
He revealed that more than 1,000 health facilities across the state had benefited from the distribution of medical equipment to strengthen diabetes screening, diagnosis and management.
The commissioner assured residents that the Ministry of Health would sustain public awareness campaigns on the prevention, early detection and proper management of both pneumonia and diabetes.
He urged residents to take advantage of available healthcare services and seek medical attention early to prevent complications and reduce avoidable deaths.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV