April 28, 2026 • 7 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Northern Territory Health have issued an alert with an increase
in the number of cases of dip theoria in the
Northern Territory. It was about a month ago that the
department notified the public of a possible outbreak of the
illness with four cases diagnosed in a week. Well now
there have been eighty four cases, as I understand, reported
(00:20):
between the first of January last year to Friday last week.
And joining us on the line is the Chief Health Officer,
Dr Paul Burgess. Good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Paul, Good morning, Katy, and good morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Can you
explain to our listeners what dip theory is and why
it's a concern to see these many cases?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, thanks Katie. Theory is an uncommon bacterial infection and
it is a bit dangerous for people who are not vaccinated.
DIP theory used to be really quite a big issue
for us in the nineteen thirties nineteen four is. It's
a long time ago, but that's before we had antibiotics
and before we had vaccines. The dipteria and those when
(01:07):
those programs of vaccination rolled out mid last prey, we
really saw a rapid decline in diptheria as their health concerned.
People may or may not know, but we vaccinate for
dipteria doing the National Uminization program for children and also
for pregnant women, so people as they're getting their planned
(01:27):
vaccines will have good protection for diptheria. However, we know
that vaccination rates have been declining and unfortunately, particularly post
the COVID nineteen outbreak, we've seen unfortunately decline in vaccination rates.
So it's a really good prompt for people to think
about some of these illnesses that have been with us
throughout our human history, and sometimes they do pop up again,
(01:49):
as it has this time with diptheria coming back. Typseria
does cause a couple of types of sicknesses. So it's
a bacteria, and it can cause skin sores that's called
cutaneous diphtheria. Gypsia can also cause a sore throat and
we call that respiratory diphtheria. Out of those two types
(02:09):
of dipteria, the respiratory one can be more dangerous, particularly
people aren't vaccinated and there can be some big swelling
of the throat in their area, and in the worst
case scenario, it can provide trouble breathing for people who
have respiratory diptheria, So it's uncommon. Most of us have
some level of protection through the vaccination program. We're asking
(02:33):
people the general public to review their vaccination status, So
keep KRNUM, check your vaccination status with your health care provider,
and if you do abuse booster, now would be a
good time to get a booster if diptheria is circulating.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
In terms of sorry, in terms of you know, the
different strains that you've said that there's obviously the strain
with the skin saws, and then there's a respiratory strain.
Can you get both at the same time or is
it more common that you would maybe get one or
the other.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I mean it's the same bug. It just affects
two different places in the body, and so it is
the same bacteria. So you certainly can have both, and
certainly the one that's less serious is the one that's
just on the skin. The way that dicteria works as
a bacteria, it produces a toxin that affects the body
(03:28):
and can cause harm to the body. So the vaccine
that we get actually predicts against the toxin and has
some effect about reducing transmission. Mainly for people who do
get the bacterial infection, the treatment is antibiotics, and the
vaccine has a really important role in preventing harms from
the toxin that the bacteria makes.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Now, in terms of what will happen if you're untreated,
can you talk us through, you know, through what can happen.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Look, the worst case scenario, okay, is people who aren't vaccinated.
And certainly historically there was fatality related to dip syria.
Going by WAGH, that's last century. There's mortality rates about
five percent before we five to ten percent before we
had vaccines and antibiotics. So obviously that's the outbreak we're
(04:22):
seeing this time. It's not a severe because lots of
people are vaccinated in community. We know vaccination rates for
around ninety percent. Certainly in our latest childhood iganization rates
are quite high. We'd like it to be higher, of course,
and this is a really good time for parents and
children to check their children's vaccination status for their health
(04:42):
care provider and have any vaccines they do. And for
adults the general public, if you haven't had a bit
seria vaccine in the last ten years, it's a good
time to get a booster in that. When I say
dip seria vaccine, we often don't know what the dip
seria vaccine. We might call it a techn shocked because
the vaccine for dip theoria has three things in it
(05:04):
dip theia number one, number two technus and number three
potassis or hooping cough. So it protects against for three.
So it's a good vaccine to get.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Tell me, are there are there some people that are
more sort of susceptible to picking it up than others?
You know, when you step aside from the vaccination, you
know a children, or the elderly, or those who are
maybe immune suppressed more likely to pick this up.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean they're the usual groups. In this particular outbreak.
We're also seeing a high burden of dip theia in
our Aboriginal population across the Northern territory and clear of
their challenges with housing and overcrowding. And if you've got
swords to diptheria, if you're living in an overcrowded household,
it's it's much easier to spread that infection. If you
(05:51):
have respiratory gypsy or coughing and sneezing again in an
overcrowded house can can lead to spread of the bacterial infection.
So that's the mechanism the spread and certainly the rapid
rise and case numbers. Part of that, Katie, is us
actually doing our workers public health professionals. As we're obviously
(06:12):
detecting the cases and doing contact tracing and picking up
further cases. We're also seeing more people presenting to their
healthcare providers, which we encourage with those symptoms of skin
saws and source roat, and that's why the numbers are
going up. Some of that is us doing our job
and some of that is patients coming forward as they
should do and providing assistance to them with antibiotics. Is early,
(06:36):
is that there's a result.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
And what is your advice if people out there listening
this morning, if there is anyone listening and they suspect
that they could have it or they notice that they've
developed these skin saws.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, so your health service is your GP if you're concerned,
and we've certainly done a lot of information sharing with
GPS and health clinics right across the Northern Territory all
the protocols they need to make the right decision and
have the right treatment available, so this is very manageable.
(07:08):
It's just we are catching up with an outbreak and
one of the key things we need to do is
encourage pole to come forward if they've got those symptoms,
and we need to also make sure people up to
date for their vaccines.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well. Doctor Paul Burgess, the Chief Health Officer for the
Northern Territory, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very
much for having a chat with us Applescating. Thank you.
Northern Territory Health have issued an alert with an increase
in the number of cases of dip theoria in the
Northern Territory. It was about a month ago that the
department notified the public of a possible outbreak of the
illness with four cases diagnosed in a week. Well now
there have been eighty four cases, as I understand, reported
(00:20):
between the first of January last year to Friday last week.
And joining us on the line is the Chief Health Officer,
Dr Paul Burgess. Good morning to you.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Paul, Good morning, Katy, and good morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Can you
explain to our listeners what dip theory is and why
it's a concern to see these many cases?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, thanks Katie. Theory is an uncommon bacterial infection and
it is a bit dangerous for people who are not vaccinated.
DIP theory used to be really quite a big issue
for us in the nineteen thirties nineteen four is. It's
a long time ago, but that's before we had antibiotics
and before we had vaccines. The dipteria and those when
(01:07):
those programs of vaccination rolled out mid last prey, we
really saw a rapid decline in diptheria as their health concerned.
People may or may not know, but we vaccinate for
dipteria doing the National Uminization program for children and also
for pregnant women, so people as they're getting their planned
(01:27):
vaccines will have good protection for diptheria. However, we know
that vaccination rates have been declining and unfortunately, particularly post
the COVID nineteen outbreak, we've seen unfortunately decline in vaccination rates.
So it's a really good prompt for people to think
about some of these illnesses that have been with us
throughout our human history, and sometimes they do pop up again,
(01:49):
as it has this time with diptheria coming back. Typseria
does cause a couple of types of sicknesses. So it's
a bacteria, and it can cause skin sores that's called
cutaneous diphtheria. Gypsia can also cause a sore throat and
we call that respiratory diphtheria. Out of those two types
(02:09):
of dipteria, the respiratory one can be more dangerous, particularly
people aren't vaccinated and there can be some big swelling
of the throat in their area, and in the worst
case scenario, it can provide trouble breathing for people who
have respiratory diptheria, So it's uncommon. Most of us have
some level of protection through the vaccination program. We're asking
(02:33):
people the general public to review their vaccination status, So
keep KRNUM, check your vaccination status with your health care provider,
and if you do abuse booster, now would be a
good time to get a booster if diptheria is circulating.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
In terms of sorry, in terms of you know, the
different strains that you've said that there's obviously the strain
with the skin saws, and then there's a respiratory strain.
Can you get both at the same time or is
it more common that you would maybe get one or
the other.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yeah, I mean it's the same bug. It just affects
two different places in the body, and so it is
the same bacteria. So you certainly can have both, and
certainly the one that's less serious is the one that's
just on the skin. The way that dicteria works as
a bacteria, it produces a toxin that affects the body
(03:28):
and can cause harm to the body. So the vaccine
that we get actually predicts against the toxin and has
some effect about reducing transmission. Mainly for people who do
get the bacterial infection, the treatment is antibiotics, and the
vaccine has a really important role in preventing harms from
the toxin that the bacteria makes.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Now, in terms of what will happen if you're untreated,
can you talk us through, you know, through what can happen.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Look, the worst case scenario, okay, is people who aren't vaccinated.
And certainly historically there was fatality related to dip syria.
Going by WAGH, that's last century. There's mortality rates about
five percent before we five to ten percent before we
had vaccines and antibiotics. So obviously that's the outbreak we're
(04:22):
seeing this time. It's not a severe because lots of
people are vaccinated in community. We know vaccination rates for
around ninety percent. Certainly in our latest childhood iganization rates
are quite high. We'd like it to be higher, of course,
and this is a really good time for parents and
children to check their children's vaccination status for their health
(04:42):
care provider and have any vaccines they do. And for
adults the general public, if you haven't had a bit
seria vaccine in the last ten years, it's a good
time to get a booster in that. When I say
dip seria vaccine, we often don't know what the dip
seria vaccine. We might call it a techn shocked because
the vaccine for dip theoria has three things in it
(05:04):
dip theia number one, number two technus and number three
potassis or hooping cough. So it protects against for three.
So it's a good vaccine to get.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Tell me, are there are there some people that are
more sort of susceptible to picking it up than others?
You know, when you step aside from the vaccination, you
know a children, or the elderly, or those who are
maybe immune suppressed more likely to pick this up.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean they're the usual groups. In this particular outbreak.
We're also seeing a high burden of dip theia in
our Aboriginal population across the Northern territory and clear of
their challenges with housing and overcrowding. And if you've got
swords to diptheria, if you're living in an overcrowded household,
it's it's much easier to spread that infection. If you
(05:51):
have respiratory gypsy or coughing and sneezing again in an
overcrowded house can can lead to spread of the bacterial infection.
So that's the mechanism the spread and certainly the rapid
rise and case numbers. Part of that, Katie, is us
actually doing our workers public health professionals. As we're obviously
(06:12):
detecting the cases and doing contact tracing and picking up
further cases. We're also seeing more people presenting to their
healthcare providers, which we encourage with those symptoms of skin
saws and source roat, and that's why the numbers are
going up. Some of that is us doing our job
and some of that is patients coming forward as they
should do and providing assistance to them with antibiotics. Is early,
(06:36):
is that there's a result.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
And what is your advice if people out there listening
this morning, if there is anyone listening and they suspect
that they could have it or they notice that they've
developed these skin saws.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, so your health service is your GP if you're concerned,
and we've certainly done a lot of information sharing with
GPS and health clinics right across the Northern Territory all
the protocols they need to make the right decision and
have the right treatment available, so this is very manageable.
(07:08):
It's just we are catching up with an outbreak and
one of the key things we need to do is
encourage pole to come forward if they've got those symptoms,
and we need to also make sure people up to
date for their vaccines.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Well. Doctor Paul Burgess, the Chief Health Officer for the
Northern Territory, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very
much for having a chat with us Applescating. Thank you.
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