‘Biggest diphtheria outbreak’ in decades spreads into Queensland, SA and WA

In response to the diphtheria outbreak in Australia, health minister Mark Butler said federal government was ‘working with the NT government and the Aboriginal-controlled sector to get more vaccines’ to the region. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The health minister, Mark Butler, has expressed concern about “the biggest diphtheria outbreak we’ve seen, certainly for decades” as the serious bacterial infection spreads through the Northern Territory and into bordering states.

Diphtheria, which can cause either skin (cutaneous) or respiratory disease, is considered rare in Australia following a vaccination rollout that began in the 1930s.