Brief Report
Lessons from a school-based vaccination response following a Diphtheria outbreak in eThekwini district, SA
Submitted: 13 December 2023 | Published: 23 August 2024
About the author(s)
Azipheli E. Ngongoma, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaMoherndran Archary, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; and Department of Paediatrics, King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa
Abstract
Diphtheria is a life-threatening respiratory tract infection that causes outbreaks in susceptible populations. Between April and May 2018, an outbreak of diphtheria occurred in the eThekwini district. A school-based outbreak vaccination response was initiated to target vulnerable children and adolescents.
Contribution: This study adds to the limited data describing a school-based vaccination in an outbreak response and highlights successes and challenges. School-based outbreak vaccination response can rapidly increase vaccine coverage; however, additional community engagement may be required in vaccine-hesitant populations.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 408Total article views: 310