Articles
Diphtheria situational report (week 3 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 1 January 2024 and 18 January 2026, 91 confirmed cases of respiratory diphtheria, 2 probable respiratory diphtheria cases and 61 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae, detected during contact tracing, have been identified in South Africa.
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