A PAHO update on diphtheria infections reveals the highest burden among children aged from one to 14 yo – in the first eight weeks of this year there were nine confirmed cases (and two deaths), plus a further 25 cases were considered probable. Highest disease incidence was in two southern departments, in the communes of La Vallée and Port à Piment. In 2019 there were 250 confirmed and suspected cases. Elsewhere in the region, in the first eight weeks of 2020 Venezuela had reported 25 confirmed cases in ‘2 federal entities and 2 municipalities’ in an outbreak that has simmered since mid-2016. The PAHO reports that last year in Venezuela, ‘the highest age-specific case-fatality rates are among 5 to 9- year-olds (33%), followed by 1-year-olds (25%), and 40 to 49-year-olds (20%)'.
Advice for travellers
Spread by coughing and sneezing or by direct contact with wounds or items soiled by infected persons, diphtheria is one of the infectious diseases prevented through routine childhood vaccination. It is also a component in the vaccine given to pregnant women for the prevention of pertussis and to protect their infant. Read more on diphtheria.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.