Thanks to highly effective vaccination, diphtheria was essentially considered almost eradicated in our part of the world. Now isolated cases are emerging again: a ten-year-old boy and another person in Germany are currently infected with the highly contagious disease. He now needs to be ventilated invasively (i.e. with a tube) in a clinic.
The Brandenburg district confirmed the two cases to “rbb24” – they concern a ten-year-old boy from Havelland and another person from the student’s immediate environment.
The doctors’ explosive suspicions were confirmed
While the second case is fortunately mild – the affected person has now had the vaccination – the boy is doing considerably worse. The unvaccinated child was initially treated in a hospital in Brandenburg for an acute inflammation of the tonsils. At the end of September, the doctors’ suspicions were confirmed: the disease was actually respiratory diphtheria.
Due to his health condition, the boy eventually had to be transferred to a clinic in Berlin, where he now needs to be ventilated – as “Bild” reports, he is currently in the Charité, but there they referred to medical confidentiality.
Classmates exempt from classes
Besides the two infections, there are no other suspected cases in the area, but as a precaution, classmates at a Waldorf school have been exempted from classes. Parents are now encouraged to have their children tested. As the responsible health authority explained, according to the school director, there is no risk of infection because the majority of students have been vaccinated.
Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which mainly affects the upper respiratory tract and sometimes the skin. It causes severe sore throat, fever and can cause life-threatening complications such as shortness of breath, heart and nerve damage. That is why it is also called the “child strangling angel”.
Vaccinated people can also be carriers
The fact that there have been isolated cases of infection in Europe recently is due to the declining vaccination rate. Vaccination against diphtheria is very effective and is part of the standard vaccinations given to children in many countries.
However, it does not help against infection with the pathogen itself: despite vaccination, people with existing immunity can also be carriers and transmitters of the disease.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
