Articles
Diphtheria situational report (week 8 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 22 February 2026, 93 confirmed cases of respiratory diphtheria, two probable respiratory diphtheria cases and 62 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae, detected during contact tracing, have been identified in South Africa.
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