Australia’s worst diphtheria outbreak on record

Experts are warning Australia’s diphtheria outbreak — which has spread across borders from a cluster in the Northern Territory to Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia — exposes serious cracks in the country’s public health system.

Diphtheria is a potentially deadly infection caused by certain strains of Corynebacterium bacteria.

The highly contagious microorganisms infect the skin and upper respiratory tract and can produce diphtheria toxin.

So far, approximately 230 cases have been detected this year across Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory, which has nearly 70 per cent of cases. It’s the biggest outbreak since national record-keeping began.

While the federal government has said it’s “throwing everything” at the outbreak to bring it under control, some experts on the ground are questioning the timing of the resources.

Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australia-diphtheria-outbreak-explained/gioo79b7l
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