21/10/2023
Arab Times
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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 21: A diphtheria outbreak in northeastern Guinea has killed 58 people, many of them young children, the World Health Organization has announced.
The World Health Organization had recorded more than 500 possible cases since July, most of them in the Siguiri region. Symptoms usually begin with a sore throat and fever.
According to a statement by the World Health Organization, the highly contagious respiratory disease may lead to death in 5 to 10 percent of cases, and the percentage may be higher among children.
The WHO added, since 2014 less than 50 percent of the population of Guinea has been immunized against “diphtheria” since it lacks the ability to control the disease, to ensure that communities are protected from its spread, vaccination must include 80 to 85 percent of the population.
