26 children die as diphtheria reaches alarming proportions in KP

PESHAWAR: Atleast 26 children have been killed due to a dangerous outbreak of diphtheria in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to the provincial health department.

This year, 380 children have been affected by the disease, with Peshawar being the worst-hit district, reporting 12 fatalities, according to the statistics compiled by the Health Department. Nowshera and Charsadda each reported three deaths, while Mohmand Agency recorded two. Most of the deceased were over the age of 5.

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The diphtheria outbreak has spread to 228 union councils across 27 districts of KP. Officials revealed that many affected children had not completed their routine immunization courses, which could have protected them from the disease.