Canberra, May 19 (IANS). The diphtheria outbreak in Australia’s Northern Territory has become the country’s largest in recent decades. Now it is also spreading to the neighboring states of Queensland and South Australia. Health officials gave this information on Tuesday.
According to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, 133 cases have so far been reported in the Northern Territory. Apart from this, six cases have been registered in South Australia and up to five cases have been registered in Queensland.
Health Minister Mark Butler told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the outbreak was ‘probably the largest in several decades’. He also confirmed that authorities were investigating a suspicious death linked to diphtheria.
This expansion is particularly affecting tribal communities, especially in remote areas. Health officials are now working with Aboriginal medical services to increase testing and vaccinations.
Diphtheria was once a major cause of death in children, but it is a disease preventable by vaccination. However, when immunity decreases in people, it can spread again. Officials now recommend booster doses every five years for at-risk adults, compared to the earlier interval of ten years.
Thousands of people in Central Australia are still behind on getting their booster doses, according to local health leaders, even though vaccinations have increased rapidly in recent weeks. According to the ABC report, about 15 to 20 new cases are being reported every week in the Northern Territory.
Officials have appealed to people to get tested immediately if they notice symptoms such as sore throat or skin infection, as efforts have been intensified to prevent infection.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by toxin-producing bacteria. It can spread from one person to another when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Some people do not show symptoms, but they can still infect others. Many people have mild illness, but serious conditions, complications, and even death can occur.
Anyone can get diphtheria, but it is especially common in children who have not been vaccinated.
The toxin produced in this disease damages the respiratory tract and can spread to other parts of the body as well. Its common symptoms include fever, sore throat and swollen glands in the neck.
The best way to prevent diphtheria and prevent it from spreading to others is vaccination. This vaccine is safe and helps the body fight infection.
–IANS
AY/AS
