The United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has said 359 of 774 local government areas in Nigeria have been identified as high risk of maternal and neonatal tetanus epidemic.
The global agency also said all 11 Northern states were at high risk of the epidemic.
Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that causes painful muscle spasm and can lead to death.
A focal person with UNICEF, Dr. Idris Nagia, spoke on the dangers associated with the infection at a sensitisation and orientation for partners and stakeholders on Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination.
He raised the alarm that most parts of the country were at high priority risk of maternal and neonatal tetanus.
According to him, it is one of the six killer diseases in the world and a leading cause of neonate deaths in developing counties.
Nagia said the 138 local government areas in the 11 northern states were also at high risk with the trend rising in the Northeast due to the insecurity in the region.
The UNICEF officer said one new-born dies every minute from tetanus, adding that a lot of people do not still recognise that most of the deaths are caused by tetanus.
Nagia, who is the Coordinator of the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination in Niger State, said seven local government areas in the state had been identified as high risks while the others were classified as medium risks.
The high-risk tetanus epidemic areas include Agwara, Edati, Magama, Mashegu, Mokwa, Rafi and Shiroro.
The UNICEF official attributed the prevalence of tetanus to contamination of wounds, inadequate vaccination, poor pre-natal hygiene, ignorance, cultural and religious beliefs as well as inadequate health personnel and health facilities.
He advised the government to map out strategies to combat what he called a silent scourge. According to him, if the trend continues, Nigeria will not be able to achieve the global elimination goal.
He suggested that multiple vaccinations, strengthening surveillance of neonatal and maternal tetanus and screening of expectant mothers would eliminate the tetanus epidemic.
Director of Immunisation in Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Fati Sheik Abdullah, called for special interventions in the high-risk areas.
She also called for a change in attitude among the people and the health workers to make things work.
“Our attitude to health is what is making us be in red,” she said.