Child in Germany dies after contracting diphtheria

A boy who contracted diphtheria and received months of treatment in a Berlin hospital has died, sources close to the case told dpa on Wednesday, reported dpa.

The child from the Brandenburg region surrounding Berlin had not been vaccinated, health authorities said.

The 10-year-old boy was admitted to a paediatric clinic in Potsdam in September last year for an acute inflammation of the tonsils. Diphtheria was later diagnosed.

The child was transferred to a Berlin clinic and was put on a ventilator there.

Through contact tracing by the health department, diphtheria was reported in another person from the child's family circle. However, due to vaccination, the person only experienced a mild course of illness, authorities said.

Fatal cases of diphtheria are rare in Germany. The country's RKI public health institute reported only one death from cutaneous diphtheria in an adult in 2023 and one from respiratory diphtheria in 2024.

Bernhard Kosak, head of paediatric emergency medicine at the West Brandenburg Clinic, warned of the dangers of vaccine hesitancy in an interview with the newspaper Märkische Allgemeine last year.

He cautioned that many people mistakenly believe modern medicine can fully treat vaccine-preventable diseases.

Infections such as meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria and tetanus often have limited treatment options and carry a high risk of severe complications, he added.