Australia reports first diphtheria death in almost 10 years

Topic: Disease Outbreak

Fri 15 May 2026 at 11:46am

The Northern Territory had its first death from diphtheria.

In short:

The Northern Territory had Australia's first diphtheria death in almost 10 years.

A health officer said children are mostly vaccinated, but teenagers and adults need booster shots.

What's next?

The government is sending help to give vaccinations and boosters.

The Northern Territory had Australia's first diphtheria death in almost 10 years.

Diphtheria is a disease that can be prevented with a vaccine.

A doctor asked for help with the diphtheria outbreak in the Northern Territory.

The death happened a few weeks ago in a remote area.

NT Health was asked for a comment.

In March, the NT Health Department said there was a diphtheria outbreak.

The last time someone in Australia died from diphtheria was in 2018.

A doctor said diphtheria is spreading in the Northern Territory with over 100 cases.

Most of the people who got diphtheria live in remote areas and are Indigenous.

Vaccinations are needed to stop the outbreak.

A doctor said most people who got very sick from diphtheria were not vaccinated or did not get a booster shot.

There are diphtheria cases in Western Australia, Queensland, and South Australia.

A doctor said the reason for the outbreak is being investigated.

The diphtheria vaccine is available in Australia.

A doctor said people might not be getting vaccinated because of COVID-19.

Teenagers and adults need to get booster shots.

Some teenagers and adults need to get vaccinated because it's been a long time since their last shot.

Federal funding is on the way

A doctor said the government is sending help to give vaccinations and boosters.

The government will give more money to the Northern Territory to help with the outbreak.

The outbreak is putting pressure on healthcare clinics in the Northern Territory.

Health professionals are telling people to get vaccinated.

Healthcare clinics are already busy and can't handle the outbreak.

A doctor said they need more resources to stop the outbreak.

The government needs to act fast to stop the outbreak.

People need to get vaccinated because diphtheria can be deadly.

Diphtheria used to be a common cause of death in children.

The vaccine for diphtheria was widely used in the 1940s.

Fri 15 May 2026 at 11:46am

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