Articles
Diphtheria situational report (week 11 of 2026)
Respiratory diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable illness caused by toxigenic C. diphtheriae (and more rarely C. ulcerans or C. pseudotuberculosis), and can occur in persons of all ages.
Between 29 December 2025 and 15 March 2026, 10 confirmed cases of respiratory diphtheria, and 2 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae, detected during contact tracing, have been identified in South Africa. All cases and carriers were from the Western Cape.
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