The Department of Health is encouraging community members to get vaccinated against diphtheria, following a case of severe respiratory diphtheria in a child in the Perth metropolitan area.
Public Health is currently undertaking contact tracing for this case and providing testing, antibiotics and vaccination to high-risk contacts, where indicated. This includes providing public health support to a school in the north-eastern suburbs.
Investigations are continuing to determine where the infection was acquired.
Diphtheria normally spreads through close or prolonged contact, and the risk to the broader community remains low.
WA Health Director of Communicable Disease Control, Dr Paul Armstrong, said vaccine remained the most effective protection against severe illness caused by diphtheria.
“We particularly want to increase vaccination among adolescents and adults, and I strongly encourage anyone eligible to take up the offer,” Dr Armstrong said.
All Aboriginal people across Western Australia are eligible for the diphtheria vaccine booster, in addition to non-Aboriginal people residing in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields or Midwest regions.
Vaccination efforts have been recently boosted in response to the diphtheria outbreak in regional WA, with additional outreach support being rolled out across affected Aboriginal communities.
An Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) is currently deployed in the Fitzroy Valley, working alongside Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services and WA Country Health Service Community Health.
This is the first of several AUSMAT deployments planned across other outbreak-affected communities, providing additional on-the-ground support as the response continues.
“The AUSMAT is being deployed to work alongside local health organisations, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, which have been driving vaccination activities and protecting communities throughout the response,” Dr Armstrong said.
Vaccination is also being made more accessible across the Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields and Midwest through local and state-led outreach, door-to-door visits, and pop-up clinics.
“Almost 18,000 people in the outbreak-affected regions have received a diphtheria-containing vaccine over the last three to four months, which is encouraging, but there is more work to do,” Dr Armstrong said.
There have been 224 diphtheria cases notified as part of the outbreak affecting regional Western Australia.
WA Health continues to work with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, local communities, the Australian Government and other partners to respond to the outbreak and increase vaccination coverage.
Regular vaccination clinic locations, and further vaccination eligibility details are outlined on the Department of Health’s regional WA diphtheria alert page.
