Governor of Kano State Nigeria Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

London, Oct. 19, 2017 (AltAfrika) — Whooping cough has caused 11 deaths, all of them children at a village in northern Nigeria’s Kano State, an official said Thursday.

Rabiu Khalil, a spokesperson for Kiru Local Government Council, who disclosed this to reporters in Kano, said about 40 other children at Kankwana village, affected by the same disease were receiving medical attention.

He assured that the state government has stepped in to contain the outbreak.

Yakubu Sani, a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the area, attributed the outbreak to poor routine immunization and inadequate health mobilization activities.

About six children had lost their lives to measles in Dashi community of the same local government area in the past two months.

Whooping cough, or Pertussis, is often spread to babies by adults. Because infants do not begin vaccinations until they are two months old, health officials urge any adult who are expected to be in contact with babies — especially pregnant women — to get vaccinated