Suspected diphtheria death in Punjab: What to know about the disease, its prevention

What is the caller suspected diphtheria lawsuit from Punjab?

A miss from Basti Aawa, Ferozepur, fell sick connected October 6 and displayed aggregate symptoms associated with diphtheria. A doc referred her to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH) successful Faridkot. She passed distant connected October 8.

After the Ferozepur Civil Surgeon was informed astir the incident, a survey workout was carried out, with teams of the World Health Organisation (WHO) arriving. Health camps were organised successful Basti Aawa and the adjacent Basti Borianwali, having a full colonisation of astir 6,000. The parents and their 2 different children were reported to beryllium healthy.

One kid suspected of the illness successful the country is undergoing treatment. Dr Meenakshi Dhingra, nodal serviceman of the wellness campy successful Ferozepur district, said confirmation reports of some children are awaited from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh (PGIMER).

Symptoms, vaccination docket of diphtheria

A toxin produced by immoderate strains of the Corynebacterium diphtheria bacteria results successful diphtheria. It affects the respiratory tract and spreads passim the body. The communal symptoms are fever, chills, swelling successful lymph nodes, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc. It is besides a highly contagious disease, though fatality rates are low.

Immunisation is the champion prevention against it, with the afloat docket requiring 7 doses betwixt 0-16 years. Three doses are fixed earlier the kid turns one, a booster Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus (DPT) changeable erstwhile the kid is two, a 5th dose erstwhile the kid turns six, and 1 each successful years 10 and 16.

According to a Rajya Sabha reply from Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State successful the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 93.5% of Indian children successful the one-year property bracket were immunised successful 2023-24. Punjab’s numbers stood astatine 93.96%.

Dr Balwinder Kaur, State Immunisation Officer of Punjab, said these numbers person risen. “By August 31 this year… afloat immunised information of Punjab has reached 96%. These see children up to the property of 1 twelvemonth who are immunised against polio, measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, rotavirus, and different diseases up to the property of 1 year.”

Prevalence of diphtheria successful caller years

Data from 2023-24 states that astir 84% of diphtheria cases successful India were reported from 10 states — Kerala, Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

The WHO’s information portal showed 3,850 diphtheria cases reported from India successful 2023; 3,286 successful 2022 and 1,768 successful 2021. There were 3,485 cases successful 2020, and 9,622 and 8,688 cases successful 2019 and 2018 respectively. In the past, the summation successful cases has been mostly linked to unvaccinated children.

According to WHO, “Damaged wellness infrastructure and wellness services successful countries experiencing oregon recovering from a earthy catastrophe oregon struggle interrupt regular immunization.” Vaccine hesitancy among a assemblage tin besides beryllium a large factor.

In Ferozepur, wellness camps person checked the immunisation presumption of radical successful the slums. The deceased child’s parents and adjacent contacts person been immunised irrespective of their age, Dr Dhingra said. For Punjab, 1 large situation is to guarantee the incoming migrant population, from states similar Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, has been inoculated arsenic well.