The disease has since spread to Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.<\/p>\n
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Steve Edgington says autopsy results for the only person believed to have died with diphtheria in the NT this year are due “very soon”. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)<\/p>\n
Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease and carries two strains: respiratory diphtheria and cutaneous diphtheria.<\/p>\n
Respiratory diphtheria can spread through coughing and sneezing, while cutaneous diphtheria is spread through skin-to-skin contact.<\/p>\n
Last week, NT Health Minister Steven Edgington said autopsy results expected to confirm the NT’s one diphtheria-related death during the current NT outbreak were due “very soon”.<\/p>\n
Where have cases been recorded?<\/p>\n
The Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has recorded at least 242 cases of diphtheria throughout Australia this year, with 146 cases in the NT specifically.<\/p>\n
NT Health has been contacted for a breakdown of the locations of cases in the territory.<\/p>\n
In Western Australia, CDC data indicates 89 cases have been identified, with 81 cases in the Kimberley region, five in the Pilbara region, two in the Goldfields and one in Perth.<\/p>\n
Seven cases have been identified in South Australia’s north-west, in the APY Lands, while Queensland health authorities are reporting two cases in Cairns and one in Brisbane.<\/p>\n
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the source of the outbreak should be investigated.<\/p>\n
“Something clearly has gone wrong here,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Having an outbreak that is so big compared to the historical position of a disease most developed countries have consigned to the dustbin of history does mean we have to examine what went wrong here.”<\/p>\n
What are the symptoms of diphtheria and how is it treated?<\/p>\n
Respiratory diphtheria usually starts with fever, sore throat, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell, the CDC says.<\/p>\n
Within days, a thick greyish-white membrane may form over the throat and tonsils, making it hard to swallow and breathe.<\/p>\n
More support needed to stem diphtheria outbreak<\/a><\/p>\n The director of the Communicable Disease Control Directorate says vaccines help prevent more serious symptoms, but more efforts are needed to tackle the outbreak in remote areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n In severe cases, it can block the airway, causing death from asphyxia.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, cutaneous diphtheria causes slow-healing skin ulcers, usually on the arms or legs. It is generally less severe than the respiratory form of the disease, the CDC says.<\/p>\n The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) says both the respiratory and cutaneous forms of the disease should prompt antibiotic treatment to clear the bacteria and reduce spread.<\/p>\n But even with treatment, the CDC warns that up to one in 10 people with respiratory diphtheria will die.<\/p>\n The CDC says vaccination is the best protection against the disease.<\/p>\n Before vaccines were introduced, more than 4,000 Australians<\/a> died from diphtheria between 1926 and 1935, according to the NCIRS.<\/p>\n