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Diphtheria in Bangladesh (Cox's Bazaar) (Update2)

09 Feb 2018

On 3 February 2018, WHO reported a total of 5 253 cases with clinically suspected diphtheria. A total of 37 deaths (case-fatality proportion <1%) were recorded.

Advice to Travellers

Ensure the British Vaccination Schedule is 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 endemic areas particularly where individuals will be mixing with the local population (e.g. health workers, teachers, volunteers).
  • Aid workers travelling to regions with confirmed diphtheria outbreaks, who are thus likely to be exposed to infection, should be given a booster dosedose of a diphtheria-containing vaccine if they have not had one in the last 12 months. 

For futher information see Diphtheria.