Advertisement

Spain records first case of diphtheria for 30 years

Fiona Govan
Fiona Govan - [email protected]
Spain records first case of diphtheria for 30 years
Electron microscope image of the virus that causes diphtheria. Photo: Sanofi Pasteur / Flickr

A six-year-old-child, resident in Olot, near the Catalan city of Girona, has been admitted into hospital after contracting diphtheria.

Advertisement

The childhood illness was eradicated in Spain almost 30 years ago thanks to routine vaccination programmes.

But it was widely reported in Spanish media that the child currently being treated at the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona had not been vaccinated.

The child first showed signs of the illness on May 25th when he presented flu-like symptoms including headache, sore throat and a fever.

Catalonia’s Ministry of Health said that the child was being treated in the pediatric intensive care unit where his condition was described as “serious”.

Spain’s ministry of health confirmed that the last recorded case of diphtheria dated from 1986.

Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae that usually affects young children and the elderly. 

It is spread through the respiratory tract via coughing and sneezing and has a mortality rate of one in ten.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also