Clinical and epidemiological features of the diphtheria outbreak among foreign students of Uzhgorod National University

Turyanitsya S.M., Pikina I.Yu.

Summary. Decreased post-vaccination immunity against diphtheria in  adults due to non-revaccination, along with a lack of vigilance, has led to the fact that diphtheria has again become an urgent problem. The article presents data on the diphtheria epidemic of the 1990s in Ukraine. During this period, the diphtheria epidemic situation was observed in all independent republics of the former USSR, with a mortality rate of 3–23%. Diphtheria remains an endemic disease in these countries, as well as in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, where vaccination coverage with diphtheria toxin vaccines is below optimal. An example of an outbreak of the disease among 15 foreign students of Uzhhorod National University in October 2019 is given. The current state of the problem is analyzed, the basic principles of control over diphtheria outbreaks are given.