Diphtherie shock in Brandenburg: Child dies after a long illness!

Diphtherie shock in Brandenburg: Child dies after a long illness!

In January 2024, a ten -year -old boy from the Havellandkreis in Brandenburg died of diphteria, an illness that is considered to be extremely rare thanks to vaccinations in Germany. As duktum-direkt.de was not vaccinated against diphtheria and had in September In 2023, infected with a vaccinated relative who only had slight symptoms.

The boy received intensive care treatment for months. Dr. Kaschlin Butt, the head of the district health office in the Duchy of Lauenburg, emphasizes the rarity of diphtheria deaths since the introduction of vaccination. She recommends having the individual vaccination protection checked at the family doctor. Diphtheriebärken produce harmful toxins that can lead to respiratory diseases, skin wounds and in severe cases to heart damage or paralysis. The mortality rate is 5 to 10 percent, while in children under the age of five and adults over 40 years, it can fluctuate between 20 and 40 percent.

diphteria and the importance of vaccination

In order to prevent diphtheria, the constant vaccination commission (STIKO) recommends that infants are vaccinated between 2, 4 and 11 months. Refreshments should be made before school and adolescence, while vaccination protection should be renewed every 10 years. In the Duchy of Lauenburg, the last diphteriefall was reported in 2018.

In addition, a research by mdr.de the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) are very rare. In 2023, the RKI was reported to an adult due to skin diphtheria. In addition, in 2024 there has been a death from respiratory diphtheria in an adult.

Bernhard Kosak, the head of child emergency medicine at the Westbrandenburg Clinic, indicates that many people mistakenly assume that the disease can be treated these days. There is also a high risk of consequential damage, which underlines the importance of vaccination.