Algeria on High Alert: Health Authorities Mobilize to Contain Diphtheria Outbreak — Doctors Reaffirm that Immunization Remains the Nation’s Shield
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – October 2025 – After decades of near disappearance, diphtheria has resurfaced in Algeria, prompting an immediate and coordinated national response. The Ministry of Health confirmed five cases in Skikda Province, including two fatalities: a 25-year-old foreign national and a 12-year-old unvaccinated girl. The re-emergence of this long-forgotten disease has reignited the debate on vaccination complacency and underscored the critical importance of immunization in safeguarding public health.
Emergency Response and Crisis Coordination
In an official statement, the Ministry of Health announced the activation of an emergency crisis unit within Skikda’s Directorate of Health to monitor the evolving epidemiological situation closely and to coordinate preventive and clinical measures in real time, alongside local authorities. The Ministry emphasized that Algeria possesses the full capacity and resources to contain the infection and prevent further transmission.
Within 48 hours, health authorities conducted epidemiological tracing of all close contacts and administered prophylactic treatment and vaccination to prevent secondary infections. In total, 514 individuals were vaccinated during this short period as part of an urgent containment campaign supervised by local medical teams.
According to the Ministry’s statement, the situation remains stable, with daily field surveillance ongoing across all medical facilities. The government reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, vigilance, and citizen protection, announcing plans for a nationwide awareness campaign to encourage vaccination adherence.
Experts Sound the Alarm: Vaccination is the Only Shield
Medical experts warn that diphtheria’s return is a direct consequence of declining vaccination rates and rising misinformation. Dr. Amina Kada Zair, pediatrician, condemned what she termed “dangerous negligence” among some parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, asserting that ignorance and complacency are fueling the resurgence of preventable diseases.
Similarly, renowned pediatrician Dr. Sami Bougssa, known as “the children’s friend,” launched a nationwide digital awareness campaign through his online platforms to educate the public about the disease. He described diphtheria as an acute bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which releases a potent toxin capable of attacking the heart, nerves, and respiratory system.
“Diphtheria can suffocate a patient within hours,” Dr. Bougssa warned, “but it can be entirely prevented by a simple vaccine.”
He stressed that the DTP vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis), part of Algeria’s national immunization program, remains the only proven method to prevent infection. It is administered at 2, 4, and 12 months of age, with booster doses in childhood, adolescence, and every ten years in adulthood.
The Disease: A Forgotten Killer Returns
Medical professionals explained that diphtheria primarily affects the nose, throat, and sometimes the skin, spreading easily through respiratory droplets, coughs, sneezes, or direct contact with infected secretions. Symptoms include sore throat, fever, difficulty swallowing, and the formation of a grayish membrane in the throat—a distinctive hallmark of the disease.
If untreated, the toxin can invade the bloodstream, leading to cardiac failure, nerve paralysis, or death. Treatment involves immediate isolation, antitoxin administration, and strong antibiotics, along with close medical supervision to prevent complications.
National Solidarity and Public Health Mobilization
The National School Health Association, chaired by Zahra Ben Hammadi, has launched a nationwide awareness campaign targeting schoolchildren and parents. The initiative aims to revive preventive health culture, emphasizing that vaccination is safe, free, and mandatory in all public health institutions.
The committee reassured parents that mild side effects such as slight fever or redness at the injection site are temporary and harmless, far outweighed by the life-saving protection the vaccine provides. It also urged immediate medical consultation if classic diphtheria symptoms—such as sore throat, fever, and gray membranes in the throat—appear.
Meanwhile, the Algerian Consumer Protection Organization released a public advisory detailing how the Corynebacterium diphtheriae bacterium produces deadly toxins once infected by a specific virus, stressing that early detection and vaccination of close contacts are vital to breaking the chain of transmission.
Doctors’ United Message: Awareness is the First Line of Defense
Health specialists across the country have echoed a common message: collective awareness and vaccination compliance are the only ways to prevent the disease from spreading. Dr. Youssef Boujelal, President of the Independent Union of Public Health Biologists, urged citizens of Skikda and Filfila to seek immediate vaccination, warning that diphtheria remains highly contagious and potentially fatal.
Likewise, Dr. Azeddine Bouassilsal cautioned that despite its rarity in recent years thanks to vaccination campaigns, diphtheria still poses a serious threat in regions with reduced immunization coverage. He emphasized that regular vaccination is essential to sustain herd immunity and avoid future outbreaks.
Public health authorities affirm that Algeria remains in full control of the situation but stress that maintaining this control depends on citizens’ cooperation. Declining vaccination rates in recent years, they warn, have reopened the door to the resurgence of once-eradicated diseases.
As experts put it: “The vaccine is not a choice—it is a civic duty, a shield that protects not only individuals but the entire nation.”
Adapted from:
https://algeriemaintenant.dz/2025/10/%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%af%d9%81%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%a7/
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