Pollsmoor inmate dies after contracting diphtheria

A 19 year-old male inmate at the Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Cape Town, has died, after he contracted diphtheria.

PHOTO: Science Direct

Health Minister, Dr. Joe Phaahla, confirmed the outbreak, saying the man presented diphtheria symptoms on 28 October 2023 and was referred to the local hospital for further medical care.

‘’Throat swabs were collected the same day for culture laboratory testing and the results came back positive five days later (2 November). Unfortunately, his health condition continued to deteriorate until he regrettably passed away on the 5th November 2023,’’ said the minister in a statement.

‘’The public health measures were undertaken to put the outbreak under control, and these include contact tracing of inmates, correctional services staff, consulting healthcare workers and emergency services personnel,’’ added Dr. Joe Phaala, Health Minister.

Diphtheria is an uncommon, but vaccine preventable serious infection caused by a toxin producing bacterium called Corynebacterium diphtheria. The toxin may lead to difficulty in breathing, heart rhythm problems, and even death. The bacteria spreads from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. The symptoms of diphtheria include sore throat (with the formation of a membrane on the tonsil and throat), and swollen glands in the front of the neck. Close contacts of known cases are at increased risk of infection.

The minister said more tests were conducted with 55 close contacts identified, and of these 8 inmates tested positive for diphtheria - two of them presenting with mild symptoms and the other six are asymptomatic.

‘’All patients including the deceased fall within the age group of 18 to 23 years old. Immediate contacts of the patients and the deceased have been put in isolation from the rest of the correctional centre section to prevent further spread of the disease. Two staff members displayed symptoms compatible with diphtheria and have received treatment whilst waiting for their laboratory test results,’’ said Dr. Phaala.

The Western Cape Department of Health Disease Outbreak Team working together with the Department of Correctional Services, have embarked on a vaccination campaign in the affected section of the correctional centre.

Two laboratory-confirmed cases of diphtheria disease were recorded earlier in the year from an adult in KwaZulu-Natal and a child in the Western Cape.

 

Done By: Mitchum George