Diphtheria is back in Australia. Explain why and how vaccines prevent their spread.

Unvaccinated infants from the northernmost coast of New South Wales Intensive care After catching respiratory diphtheria (throat diphtheria). A 6-year-old relative is also infected.

These are the first cases of respiratory diphtheria in children found in Australia Since 1992..

What is Diphtheria? How does it spread?

Diphtheria is a potentially deadly infection caused by toxins produced by certain strains. Corynebacterium Bacteria.

Causes of respiratory diphtheria Terrible swelling It can block the airways in the throat and neck and cause breathing problems.

Bacterial toxins can also damage the heart, kidneys, brain and nerves.Bacteria can also cause Skin painNot as serious as respiratory diphtheria.

Diphtheria spreads through respiratory droplets such as coughing and sneezing. They can also spread by touching the pain in the skin.

How is it prevented?

In Australia, vaccines containing diphtheria toxoid (an inactivated toxin) are provided free of charge. National immune program (NIP), initially administered 3 times in 2, 4 and 6 months after birth.

These are whooping cough (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Infectious disease. It causes meningitis (inflammation of the inner wall of the brain) and sepsis (blood poisoning).

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Additional immunological administration of diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough is provided under the national immune program at 18 months, 4 years, and about 12 years (through a school-based immune program). It is important to get all these booster doses, as immunity tends to decline over time.

Adult boosters are also recommended, but are not funded by the National Immune Program.

How is it treated?

Antibiotics are given to people with diphtheria, but once established they may have little effect on the disease.

Special treatment with diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) is often required to counteract the effects of the toxin. DAT should be given early in the disease (within 48 hours).

but, Global shortage The decrease in DAT due to the decrease in production in recent decades.

Once a big murderer

Diphtheria was one of the top 10 causes in the past Infant death..there were More than 4,000 dead From Australian diphtheria between 1926 and 1935.

After the introduction of the vaccine in the 1940s, the number of cases of diphtheria has decreased dramatically.

Currently, diphtheria is rare. Prior to the two recent cases in New South Wales, there have been no cases of respiratory diphtheria in children since 1992 in Australia. Between 2011 and 2019, 38 cases of skin diphtheria were reported, affecting both children and adults. During the same period, there were 7 cases of respiratory diphtheria, all of which were adults.Two unvaccinated adults died of respiratory diphtheria 2011 When 2018..

Why are you looking at diphtheria now? What role does travel play?

Anyone who has not been vaccinated against diphtheria is at risk of illness. Diphtheria vaccination rates for Australian children have been as high as over 90% since 2000. Currently about 95%..

People born before 2000 are more likely to be deficient in vaccination due to their lower vaccination rates during the growing season.

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There are also certain risks of traveling to countries where diphtheria is still common, such as Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, former Soviet Union states, and Eastern European countries.

Diphtheria vaccination prevents the disease, but it does not completely prevent people who carry bacteria behind the asymptomatic throat. Fully vaccinated people can spread the bacterium to unvaccinated contacts, including when returning from a trip abroad.

Increasing diphtheria is now a real risk, as vaccination rates have Global decline..

In addition, the risk of other illnesses such as measles has increased, and overseas travel has resumed.Measles cases are on the rise worldwide, in part COVID pandemic-related confusion For regular immune programs in many parts of the world.UNICEF and the World Health Organization Warning A complete storm of conditions for measles outbreaks.

A In the case of recent measles Travelers were the first in Australia since March 2020.

What can you do?

It is important that people of all ages keep their vaccines up to date.

Parents need to ensure that their children receive all routine immunizations on time. This provides strong protection against serious illnesses such as diphtheria and measles.

People of all ages need to be up-to-date with vaccines, especially when traveling abroad. Beyond childhood, Australian Immune Handbook The following diphtheria vaccine booster doses are recommended:

• Adults aged 50 and 65

• People of all ages traveling to countries where access to medical services is difficult, more than 10 years after the last dose.

• People traveling to high-risk countries if more than 5 years have passed since the last dose.

Ensuring support for low- and middle-income countries, especially those in our region, to strengthen immunization programs, such as through measles and other vaccine catch-up campaigns, also to protect us all. The key.

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