Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

Australia has recorded its first death from Diphtheria in nearly a decade as the country faces its most serious outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease in decades, AzerNEWS reports, citing BBC.

In March, authorities in the Northern Territory declared an official outbreak, with additional cases later reported in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland. The number of infections began increasing in late 2025, followed by a sharp surge in February this year.

So far in 2026, Australia has registered 245 cases — the largest outbreak since 1991. Most infections have been identified in remote Indigenous communities, where access to healthcare and vaccination services can be more limited.

On Tuesday, the Northern Territory’s health minister confirmed that autopsy results from an overseas laboratory determined Diphtheria to be the cause of a man’s death in April at Royal Darwin Hospital. It became the country’s first recorded diphtheria-related death since 2018.

Health officials say the government has intensified vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas, and the number of new cases has recently started to decline. According to Northern Territory Health Minister Steve Edgington, more than 10,400 vaccinations have been administered since March 30.

Between January last year and May this year, the Northern Territory reported 163 cases of diphtheria, including 48 respiratory infections and 115 cutaneous cases, which spread through skin contact.

An interesting fact is that before widespread vaccination programs were introduced in the 20th century, Diphtheria was one of the deadliest childhood diseases in the world. Today, outbreaks are considered rare in highly vaccinated countries, which is why health experts see the current situation in Australia as a serious warning about the importance of maintaining immunization rates.