Fatal Case of Diphtheria in Singapore
07 Aug 2017
The Singapore Ministry of Health has reported a fatal case of diphtheria. The patient was a 21-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who became unwell on 30 July. He was hospitalised on 1 August and died on 4 August.
This is the first case of locally-acquired diphtheria in Singapore since 1992.
Advice to Travellers
Singapore is not usually considered a destination where there is a high risk of diphtheria so the following general advice applies.
Ensure British Vaccination Schedule complete including booster doses as teenagers.
Travellers should be aware of:
- Persistence of disease in many regions of the world to which unvaccinated individuals are susceptible.
- Waning immunity from diphtheria vaccine with increasing age.
- Ten-yearly boosters of vaccine should be given for travel to epidemic/endemic areas particularly where individuals will be mixing with the local population (e.g. health workers, teachers, volunteers).
For futher information see Diphtheria