Diphtheria Kills 7 in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi District, State Govt Launches Awareness Campaign

Bengaluru, December 13: In a tragic incident, seven people died of  diphtheria in Karnataka's Kalaburagi district since September 2019. According to a tweet by ANI, M K Patil, District Health Officer was quoted saying that till date 134 cases of diphtheria have been reported from the Kalaburagi district. "Till date 134 cases of diphtheria have been reported in the district with 7 deaths. In view of this, state govt has launched an awareness campaign", Patil stated.

Diptheria is a bacterial disease with is infectious. Its common symptoms include, sore throat, fever, cough, running nose, swelling in neck, fall in blood pressure and irregular pulse. Reports inform that the alarming situation of non-availability of anti-diphtheria serum (ADS) is likely the cause for the spread of the disease. Moreover, most of the patients were "not vaccinated" against the infectious disease. Diphtheria On The Rise In India: What Are The Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of This Infectious Disease?.

According to a report by New Indian Express, between January and August, nearly 300 cases of Diphtheria were recorded in Karnataka. Earlier this month, as many as 37 cases of Diphtheria were found in Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences in the ladies hostel alone, the report stated.

After the recent outbreak of Diphtheria in parts of north Karnataka, the Health and Family Welfare Department is planning a vaccination programme in schools across the state. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Intensified Mission Indradhanush programme, which aims to immunise children below the age of two, will be seeing its second phase of the mission across the state this month.