Home / Health / Australia Battles Worst Diphtheria Outbreak Since 1991
Australia Battles Worst Diphtheria Outbreak Since 1991
26 May
Summary
- Australia records first diphtheria death in nearly ten years.
- The country faces its worst outbreak since 1991 with 245 cases.
- An urgent vaccination campaign is underway to curb the spread.
Australia is experiencing its most significant diphtheria outbreak in over three decades, with the first death recorded in nearly ten years.
This contagious bacterial infection has led to 245 cases this year, predominantly impacting remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Health authorities have initiated an urgent vaccination campaign, administering over 10,000 vaccines in the Northern Territory alone in recent weeks.
The outbreak is believed to have originated from a bacterial strain imported into northern Queensland around 2022.
Diphtheria symptoms include a thick, grey-white coating in the throat, fever, sore throat, and difficulty breathing, and it is treated with antibiotics.
