Australia's diphtheria outbreak could be contained in months, health body says

Australia's growing diphtheria outbreak could be contained within months but government response to the disease was too slow, the head of a peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations has said.

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), which represents 148 Aboriginal community-controlled health services, said while the response from government in the past few days had been welcomed, they initially took too long to respond to concerns about the disease.

NACCHO chief executive Dawn Casey said the organisation began lobbying government to take action on diphtheria in early April.

"We were really concerned about how fast it was spreading," she said.

"We need to be much quicker for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people."

There have now been more than 220 cases of diphtheria reported so far this year, primarily in the Northern Territory but also in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

The NT has recorded 157 cases, with 46 of those identified as the more dangerous respiratory strain, and 111 confirmed cases of cutaneous diphtheria.

Dr Casey acknowledged the announcement of a multi-million-dollar funding boost from the federal government and said chief health officers had been meeting weekly.

"The government has taken a number of weeks to respond but they have responded in a comprehensive way," she said.

Vaccinations should slow spread

Dr Casey said she was confident the situation would improve "quite considerably" with rapid vaccination.

"I think we will contain it over the next few months," she said.

Dr Casey said despite this, diphtheria would likely continue to spread in remote areas due to poor housing in Aboriginal communities.

Cutaneous diphtheria can spread through skin-to-skin contact, while the respiratory version can be passed on through close contact, such as coughing within close proximity to someone.

'No-one is immune'

NT senator and federal Aboriginal Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said the diphtheria outbreak was of national concern.

"No-one is immune to this," she said. "We must make sure we work together as a country."

Ms McCarthy urged parents to check their children had been vaccinated and to ensure they got booster shots if they had not had one in the past 10 years.

"It's important that we not only communicate with First Nations families, but this is about our whole country being aware," she said.

The federal government yesterday announced a $7.2 million support package to assist with vaccination efforts, partly through the National Trauma Response and Critical Care Centre.

An advisory body has also been stood up to help coordinate the response with healthcare providers and Aboriginal community-controlled health services.

Autopsy results on suspected death expected 'very soon'

NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said a suspected diphtheria death was yet to be confirmed due to yet-to-be-received autopsy results.

The death would be the first from the disease in almost a decade.

"We should have them very soon," Mr Edgington said.

The minister rebutted criticism of his department's response to the outbreak, including the lack of media briefings and updates on social media.

"There has been press conferences," he said.

"The chief health officer has communicated regularly with the media. There is a range of material that has been circulated."

NT Health is yet to hold a media conference with the health minister on diphtheria, but the NT's chief health officer Paul Burgess has made multiple appearances on the ABC this week.