Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 19th Oct. World health agency on Wednesday reported that a diphtheria outbreak in Guinea has killed 58 people, after hundreds of reported cases many babies and toddlers.
WHO said that 538 cases of the disease were reported from 4 July to 13 October in the east central Kankan region.
Over 80 per cent of them were children aged one to four.
WHO noted that diphtheria is a highly contagious disease caused by bacteria, which can be lethal in up to 40 per cent of cases when there is poor access to treatment with diphtheria antitoxin.
The illness can be prevented through vaccination, WHO stated.
WHO said that in Guinea the immunization coverage against the disease has remained below 50 per cent for the past decade and was reported to be only 47 per cent in 2022.
The agency said that’s a far cry from the 80 to 85 per cent required to maintain community protection.
WHO stressed that none of the 538 people who got sick in the current outbreak had been vaccinated.
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