Diphtheria in Souss-Massa: 2 children dead, 8 cases under surveillance

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection announced the registration of two limited family foci of diphtheria (diphtheria) in the area of Souss-Massa, specifically in the employment of Agadir Edaoutan and the province of Shtouka Ait-Baha, with one case laboratory confirmation and the registration of the death of two children between the ages of 11 and 17 years from the community of Ait Amir, while eight other cases are still under examination and confirmation. Details of cases and deaths The Ministry explained, in an official report, that children infected in the two foci had never been vaccinated against diphtheria or had not completed Recommended doses of vaccine. It added that four other people, including three members of the two affected families, are currently undergoing treatment at the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Agadir. The ministry stressed that the deaths of the two children have not yet been laboratory-confirmed as a direct cause associated with diphtheria, and that analysis is underway to determine this definitively. Ministry of Health procedures According to the report, the rapid intervention teams activated epidemiological investigation protocols, and the procedures included active search for similar cases, and tracking people who were In contact with infected people, along with prescribing prophylactic antibiotics and vaccines to those who need to be placed. The health departments of the region also organized a process to monitor the health records of students and complete the missing vaccinations in educational institutions in the community of Ait Amir, in order to avoid the spread of infection in the vicinity of schools. A call to update vaccination The Ministry of Health called on families to check the vaccination records of their children and complete any missing doses as soon as possible, stressing the need to immediately go for medical examination when suspected symptoms appear, such as inflammation Sharp throat or difficulty breathing, and avoid direct contact with infected people until the diagnosis is complete. The ministry pointed out that the decline in vaccination rates at the global level in recent years, partially linked to the spread of misleading information about vaccines, contributed to the sporadic return of diphtheria cases in several countries, which makes the completion of the national vaccination program for children the first line of defense against this type of limited epidemics. Why it matters Diphtheria is an infectious bacterial disease transmitted through respiratory droplets or Direct contact, and can be effectively prevented by the triple vaccine included in Morocco's compulsory vaccination programme. The case of Souss-Massa shows that any gap in vaccination coverage, even in a limited family domain, may open the way for the return of diseases that were almost eradicated, which explains the focus of regional health interests on addressing the shortage of children's health records before the limited foci turn into a wider spread.