Articles
Diphtheria Situational Report (Week 8 Of 2025)
Respiratory Diphtheria Alert: 29 Cases & 33 Carriers Detected in South Africa—Western Cape Most Affected!
Between 1 January 2024 and 23 February 2025, 29 confirmed cases of respiratory diphtheria and 33 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae, detected during contact tracing, have been identified in South Africa. The majority of confirmed cases and carriers (95%, 59/62) were from the Western Cape, comprising 27 respiratory diphtheria cases and 32 asymptomatic carriers. The median age of cases of confirmed respiratory diphtheria was 28 years (range: 3–67 years), with 75% (22/29) aged over 18 years and the case-fatality ratio was 21% (6/29).
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