Daijiworld Media Network – Canberra

Canberra, May 22: The Australian government has announced a 7.2-million-Australian-dollar emergency package to tackle the country’s largest diphtheria outbreak since national records began, Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday.

According to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, Australia has recorded 230 diphtheria cases so far this year. Nearly 60 per cent of the infections have been reported from the Northern Territory, while additional outbreaks have emerged in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

The funding package includes 5.2 million Australian dollars for the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre to support booster vaccination campaigns, treatment measures and procurement of additional vaccines and antibiotics.

Another 2 million Australian dollars has been allocated to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation to strengthen culturally appropriate communication, community outreach and public health support on the ground.

“Diphtheria is a serious disease, but it is preventable, and this response is about making sure communities have the support, vaccines and health care they need to stay safe,” Butler said.

Health authorities stressed that vaccination remains the strongest protection against diphtheria. The vaccine is recommended for children at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months of age, followed by doses at four years and between 11 and 13 years. Adults are advised to take a booster dose at the age of 50, while people in high-risk areas are recommended booster shots every five years.

The Northern Territory recently recorded Australia’s first reported death from diphtheria in nearly a decade on May 15. The region had declared an outbreak in March, marking its first major diphtheria outbreak since the 1990s.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection that can become fatal in severe cases. Once a major cause of childhood deaths worldwide, the disease is largely preventable through vaccination, though experts warn it can re-emerge when immunity levels decline.

Officials have also linked the outbreak to post-pandemic vaccine hesitancy and gaps in healthcare access in some communities.