NT diphtheria cases fall after vaccine blitz, one death confirmed
Northern Territory health authorities say diphtheria case numbers are falling following a vaccination blitz, as a man’s death in Darwin last month has been confirmed as diphtheria-related and a second reported death in Alice Springs is ruled out.
NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said there have been 163 diphtheria cases reported in the territory, comprising 115 skin infections and 48 cases of respiratory illness. NT Chief Health Officer Paul Burgess said weekly reports have fallen from up to 22 at the height of the outbreak to nine in the past seven days.
Key Points
- Northern Territory reports 163 diphtheria cases since outbreak began
- Health officials confirm one death in Darwin as diphtheria-related
- Second reported death in Alice Springs ruled not associated with diphtheria
- Case numbers decline from up to 22 weekly to nine in past week
- More than 10,000 vaccinations delivered in seven weeks across NT
- Inquiry into outbreak flagged by Federal Health Minister Mark Butler
- Strain likely imported into northern Queensland in about 2022
Dr Burgess said the vaccination push is central to the downward trend, with more than 10,000 vaccinations delivered across the territory in the past seven weeks. He credited collaboration with community-controlled health services and NT Health clinics for rapid progress.
“We’ve done a mountain of work in terms of improving our vaccination rates. I can tell you today that in the last seven weeks alone, more than 10,000 vaccines are in arms protecting Territorians against diphtheria,” Dr Burgess said.
Mr Edgington said health staff would continue to target transmission in partnership with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations. He said authorities established a pop-up clinic in Alice Springs after the first report there and deployed teams through Congress working in town camps to reinforce access to vaccination.
- Total cases: 163
- Skin infections: 115
- Respiratory cases: 48
- Weekly reports at peak: up to 22
- Reports in the past seven days: 9
- Vaccinations in seven weeks: more than 10,000
Death confirmed; second case negative
Dr Burgess said testing by an international laboratory had confirmed the death of a man in Darwin last month as probably due to diphtheria. He said toxicology results showed the bacterium produced a toxin capable of causing the health effects observed.
“Overnight we’ve received the final test results from an international laboratory that confirmed that diphtheria was the probable cause,” he said.
He also clarified that a man who reportedly died after contracting the disease in Alice Springs tested negative. He said the death at Alice Springs Hospital was not associated with diphtheria.
