After it became known two weeks ago that a case of polio had reappeared for the first time in almost a decade in an unvaccinated patient in the United States, two children in Australia were found to be infected with diphtheria. That is the first time this century.
The children come from the southeastern state of New South Wales, known as the ‘anti-vax capital’ of Australia. Both children were not vaccinated against the condition.
Diphtheria is a serious and highly contagious disease caused by bacteria. It is transmitted from person to person through coughing, among other things. You can also get diphtheria from contaminated food or an infected animal or pet. The bacterium produces a toxin that can cause severe inflammation of membranes in the nose, throat, trachea and heart. It can cause nerve damage, heart damage and paralysis. A patient may have difficulty breathing and suffocate or the heart may fail.
cause of death
According to health institute Sciensano, diphtheria used to be a leading cause of death in children. Thanks to the general vaccination that was introduced in Belgium in 1959, the condition has almost disappeared from our country. However, the bacterium is still present and vaccination is the only way to prevent diphtheria.
In Australia, it is the first time since 1992 that a child has been infected with respiratory diphtheria. Before school vaccinations were introduced in 1932, it was also one of the leading causes of death in children in Australia. A diphtheria vaccination is free in Australia and can be taken from six weeks.
One of the two patients is only two years old and is in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Brisbane. Despite a survey by the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’, there is no increase in the number of applications for vaccinations in medical centers in the region where the child comes from. The other patient with diphtheria is six years old and a “close family contact” from the first. That child has also been hospitalized.
Vaccinations
As of March this year, only 87.3 percent of all five-year-olds in New South Wales were up to date on their vaccinations, the lowest number since September 2016 and well below the national 94.3 percent. In fact, in the Byron region, only 68.2 percent of annuals are fully vaccinated. Nationally that is 94.9 percent.
WHO and Unicef sound the alarm: vaccination coverage of children shows sharpest decline in 30 years
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