Child dies of diphtheria in Czechia, prompting renewed warning against delaying vaccines

An unvaccinated preschool child from the Ostrava region has died after contracting diphtheria, a disease that had become extremely rare thanks to routine immunization. The case has prompted renewed concern about vaccine coverage, with health officials urging parents not to delay their children’s scheduled shots.

The preschool boy was diagnosed with diphtheria about a month ago and initially treated at Ostrava University Hospital. The infection was later confirmed in three of the child’s five siblings, and the entire family underwent antibiotic treatment. The child was eventually transferred to a Prague hospital for specialized care, but died last Monday.

Diphtheria was once widespread in what is now Czechia, before mass vaccination introduced in 1946 all but eradicated the disease. After nearly three decades without cases, it returned in 2022.

Paediatrician and vice-chair of the Czech Vaccinology Society Hana Cabrnochová says diphtheria can be especially dangerous for small children.

Hana Cabrnochová|Photo: Czech Television

“The mortality rate from diphtheria is really very high compared to what we know from other commonly occurring diseases. Among the youngest children, roughly up to five years of age, mortality can reach around 20 percent. And that is a very high figure.”

Vaccination coverage among young children still remains relatively high, at around 95 percent. However, specialists are increasingly concerned about delays in vaccination and children not completing all recommended doses.

“What we are observing, and what concerns us, is the postponement of vaccination in some cases. According to available data, up to 10 percent of children only begin vaccination in the second half of their first year of life, whereas regulations state that vaccination should begin from the ninth week of life.

“Another concern is that although overall vaccination coverage is 95–96 percent, only around 90–91 percent of children complete the full vaccination schedule. The difference is not dramatic, but it is still a warning sign that children need sufficient protection.”

Cabrnochová says parents often question the need for vaccines against diseases that have become rare.

Photo: Nataliya Vaitkevich, Pexels, Pexels Licence

“A common objection is: ‘Doctor, these vaccines are against diseases that hardly occur anymore.’ But the reason these diseases hardly occur anymore is precisely because we vaccinate. And that is why this case should serve as a warning not to postpone vaccination and to follow the recommended vaccination schedule.”

Diphtheria usually begins with weakness, a sore throat and fever, before a thick coating forms in the throat and makes breathing and swallowing difficult.

The disease is caused by bacteria that produce a dangerous toxin, which can lead not only to suffocation but also to severe damage to the heart and nervous system.

Health officials have confirmed nine cases of diphtheria in the country since the start of this year, with the preschool boy becoming the only fatal case so far.