Australia confirms first diphtheria death amid worst outbreak in decades

Australia has recorded its first diphtheria death in almost a decade as the country grapples with the worst outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease in decades.In March, the Northern Territory (NT) declared an outbreak of diphtheria with cases also in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia, Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia and Queensland. Cases started rising in late-2025 with a sharp increase in February.This year, there have been 245 cases, marking the largest outbreak in Australia since 1991, mainly in remote Indigenous communities.On Tuesday, NT's health minister said autopsy results from an overseas lab found diphtheria was the cause of a man's death in April at Royal Darwin Hospital, the first such case since 2018.In recent weeks, the government has ramped up vaccination efforts in areas most at risk and the number of new cases was now falling, health officials said on Tuesday."Our government has taken this situation very seriously, and we are working hard to understand the causes and working to contain the situation," NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said.Since 30 March, there have been 10,407 vaccinations, he said.Between January last year and May this year, the NT reported 163 diphtheria cases with 48 respiratory cases and 115 cutaneous cases, which is spread via skin contact.