Epidemiological Update: Diphtheria (6 December 2019)

ABSTRACT

In 2019, Colombia, Haiti, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have reported confirmed cases. In 2018, the same three countries reported confirmed cases. The following is a summary of the epidemiological situation reported by Colombia, Haiti, and Venezuela. In Colombia, one confirmed case of diphtheria has been reported in 2019. The case is a 4-year-old Venezuelan national and resident of Cúcuta Municipality in Norte de Santander Department, with an unverifiable vaccination history. The case had onset of symptoms on 12 October 2019; the case was confirmed by clinical-epidemiological and laboratory criteria (a sample of pharyngeal pseudomembrane tested positive for Corynebacterium diphtheriae and the diphtheria toxin gene by real-time PCR). No secondary cases related to this case were reported. In Haiti, between epidemiological week (EW) 32 of 2014 and EW 46 of 2019, there were 951 probable cases reported, including 119 deaths; of the total cases, 287 were confirmed (278 laboratory-confirmed and 9 by epidemiological link.