Diphtheria death confirmed in NT

The first death from diphtheria to occur in Australia since 2018 has been confirmed by Northern Territory authorities.
 
The patient died at the Royal Darwin Hospital in April.
 
While there had been previous speculation about the cause of death, it was only made definitive on Tuesday following the return of autopsy results from an overseas laboratory. 
 
The news comes amid a major ongoing public health response to the largest diphtheria outbreak recorded since the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) began in 1991.
 
NT Health reports 163 cases of diphtheria in the territory so far this year, including 48 respiratory and 115 cutaneous cases.
 
The NNDSS has also recorded 92 cases in 2026 in Western Australia, as well as smaller outbreaks in Queensland and South Australia.
 
Earlier this month, the Federal Government announced a $7.2 million package for the NT Government and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Sector to counter the outbreak, including through increased vaccination and communication support.
 
Pop-up clinics have been established in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs and a mobile unit in Central Australia, with 10,407 vaccinations administered in the territory since 30 March.
 
NT Health has said the number of new cases is now falling.
 
RACGP NT Chair Dr Sam Heard called the outbreak ‘a tragedy’ and expressed his gratitude to GPs involved in the frontline response.
 
‘We want to thank them and encourage them to get as many adults immunised against diphtheria as possible,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘The more people immunised, the less likely it is to happen again.
 
‘We all need to cooperate to make sure this doesn’t become a national problem and we have a frontline role – everybody you see, offer them a diphtheria booster if they haven’t had one for 10 years, particularly if they’re going anywhere in the remote territory.’
 
NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said the communities most at risk are being prioritised.
 
‘NT Health continues to engage and consult with Aboriginal health organisations and primary care services to inform the community and increase vaccination,’ he said.
 
‘This includes contact tracing, testing, regular education sessions with vaccine providers and increased vaccination in communities.’
 
Diphtheria had almost disappeared in Australia, with cases only rarely reported since the 1990s.
 
Once among the biggest causes of child mortality in the country, with 4043 deaths recorded between 1926 and 1935, diphtheria cases declined steeply following the introduction of a widespread vaccine program in the 1940s.
 
Vaccines are recommended for children at two, four, six and 18 months, and four years of age, as well as for adolescents aged 11–13 years.
 
A diphtheria vaccine booster is also recommended for adults at the age of 50, or every five years from that age for those at higher risk.
 
For further detail on diphtheria vaccination recommendations, see the Australian Immunisation Handbook. 

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