Diptheria in Venezuela
30 Nov 2017
On 15 November, WHO reported a total of 511 probable diphtheria cases so far this year (2017). Samples were taken from 452 of the cases, of which 146 were laboratory confirmed. The most affected age group is 5 to 39 year olds, with the greatest number of cases being reported among those aged 5 to 19 years. Females accounted for the majority of the cases. The confirmed cases were reported in 17 federal entities.
Advice to Travellers
Ensure British Vaccination Schedule complete including booster doses as teenagers.
Travellers should be aware of:
- Persistence of disease in many regions of the world to which unvaccinated individuals are susceptible.
- Waning immunity from diphtheria vaccine with increasing age.
- Ten-yearly boosters of vaccine should be given for travel to epidemic/endemic areas particularly where individuals will be mixing with the local population (e.g. health workers, teachers, volunteers).
For futher information see Diphtheria