The National Department of Health has urged people to remain calm after the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) discovered two cases of diphtheria.
, the department explained that diphtheria is a rare but preventable infection spread through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing.‘The vaccine should be given to all children as a routine vaccine in the first year of life. Booster doses should also be given at 6 and 12 years of age. Catch-up vaccination is possible if doses have been missed.
The department added that people in close contact with infected people are at risk of becoming ill and explained that the toxin-producing bacterium can cause breathing difficulties, heart rhythm problems, and, in severe cases, death. Symptoms of diphtheria include a sore throat with the formation of a membrane on the tonsils and throat, as well as swollen glands in the front of the neck.
The department also instructed laboratories to test all throat swabs for diphtheria and report positive cases to the NICD’s Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis.
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