“Death from diphtheria underlines need for vaccination,” says British Lung Foundation - 09/05/08

The death of a child in London from what is thought to be diphtheria underlines the need for parents to immunise their child against the disease, says the British Lung Foundation.

There have been just three other deaths from diphtheria in the UK since 1994.

“Diphtheria is a serious respiratory illness with a high mortality rate”, says Dr Keith Prowse, Chairman of the British Lung Foundation. “The bacteria which causes the disease can be found virtually anywhere, but diphtheria is rare in the UK and elsewhere in the west because of our comprehensive child vaccination programme. This case underlines how vital diphtheria vaccinations are and we urge parents to ensure their child is immunised against the disease.”

A vaccination programme was introduced in the UK in 1942.

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