Distrust in health care during infectious disease outbreaks can have devastating consequences. Here’s what we can do about it.
Articles on diphtheria
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Remote Indigenous communities are bearing the brunt of the latest diphtheria outbreak. Inadequate housing may be one reason why.
Diseases once thought confined to history are making a comeback in Australia. And vaccination is only part of the story.
Since January, Australia has recorded more than 220 diphtheria cases. Experts say waning vaccination rates are contributing to this historic outbreak.
The disease has rarely been seen since the 1950s. Here’s what to look out for, and how it made a comeback.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect against diphtheria.
Australia currently has its first cases of childhood respiratory diphtheria since 1992. So why are we seeing diphtheria now? And what role does travel play in its spread?
Our study found that the bacteria which causes diphtheria is rapidly changing.
International outbreaks of the almost-forgotten disease diphtheria and pockets of low immunisation coverage put Australians at risk of catching the disease.
Toronto’s fight against diptheria teaches us the powerful impact of public health campaigns – in persuading parents to vaccinate their children.
An outbreak of diphtheria in Indonesia is not caused by a singular factor. The country needs better vaccination coverage and distribution as well as better antibiotics.
The kinds of vaccines adults need depend on several factors, including whether you were born here, how old you are and whether you intend to travel overseas.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Fellow, Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research
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Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney
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Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist; Clinical Researcher, University of Sydney
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Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC L3 Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW
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Researcher and Policy Analysis in Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health Indonesia, Badan Kebijakan Pembangunan Kesehatan Kementerian Kesehatan
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Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of Sydney
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Professor, Department of History, University of Guelph
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Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
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Senior Research Officer at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Australian National University
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Group Leader, Global Health (Infectious Diseases), University of Cambridge
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PhD Student, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge
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Associate Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney
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Honorary Fellow, Global and Tropical Health, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University
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Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Adelaide University
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Postdoctoral Researcher, The Kids Research Institute Australia