Diphtheria in Yemen (Update 3)

According to the World Health Organisation via media the diphtheria outbreak in Yemen in continuing. From August 2017 to 12 March 2018, 1294 suspected cases of diptheria (including 73 deaths) have been recorded in 20 of the country's 23 provinces. Ibb and al-Hodeidah provinces have been particularly affected.

Advice to Travellers

Ensure British Vaccination Schedule complete for all travellers including booster doses in 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.

When to consider vaccination

Vaccination should be considered under the following circumstances and is dependent on the individual risk assessment:

• Individuals with an incomplete primary vaccination history for diphtheria, irrespective of region of travel.
• Ten-yearly boosters of vaccine should be given for travel to endemic areas particularly where individuals will be mixing with the local population (e.g. health workers, teachers, volunteers).
• Aid workers travelling to regions with confirmed diphtheria outbreaks, who are thus likely to be exposed to infection, should be given a reinforcing dose of a diphtheria-containing vaccine if they have not had one in the last 12 months. Further guidance for the management of contacts of diphtheria cases is available from Public Health England

For further information see Diphtheria.