Australia unveils major package to tackle serious diphtheria outbreak

Canberra, May 21 (IANS) The Australian government is delivering a 7.2-million-Australian-dollar (about 5.14 million US dollars) package to respond to the biggest diphtheria outbreak since national record-keeping began, the country’s Health Minister, Mark Butler, said on Thursday.

The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System reports 230 diphtheria cases this year, and around 60 per cent of the cases in this outbreak are in the Northern Territory, with further outbreaks in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, according to a media release, Xinhua news agency reported.

The package includes 5.2 million Australian dollars for the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre for promoting booster vaccinations and treatments, and procuring additional vaccines and antibiotics; 2 million Australian dollars to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation for culturally safe communications, community liaison and other on-the-ground public health supports, it said.

“Diphtheria is a serious disease, but it is preventable, and this response is about making sure communities have the support, vaccines and health they need to stay safe,” the minister said.

Vaccination is the strongest protection against diphtheria, said the release. Diphtheria vaccines are recommended for children at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months, and 4 years of age, and adolescents at 11-13 years of age. A diphtheria vaccine booster is recommended for adults at 50 years of age. Where there is a higher risk of acquiring diphtheria, booster vaccinations are recommended every 5 years.

The Northern Territory has recorded the country’s first reported death from diphtheria in nearly a decade, on May 15. The NT declared an outbreak in March, the first since the 1990s.

Diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial infection, can be fatal in severe cases. Once a major cause of childhood mortality, it is preventable through vaccination but can resurge when immunity wanes.

Officials also pointed to post-pandemic vaccine hesitancy and gaps in access as possible drivers of the outbreak.

–IANS

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