Diphtheria: 30 confirmed cases in Morocco, no outbreak detected
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L'Information
Around 30 confirmed cases of diphtheria have been recorded in several regions of Morocco, with no outbreak detected, according to Jaouad Hammou, a Moroccan infectious diseases official. The Ministry of Health is applying a national protocol for screening, treatment and monitoring in the public, private and military sectors, Hespress reports.
Around 30 confirmed cases of diphtheria have been recorded in several regions of Morocco, with no outbreak detected, Jaouad Hammou, head of the infectious diseases department at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection’s Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Control, said. Infections remain sporadic and isolated, according to the official, quoted by Hespress.
The Moroccan Ministry of Health has drawn up a specific protocol for treating patients. It applies to public, private and military institutions and provides for the identification, screening and monitoring of suspected cases.
Jaouad Hammou called for suspected cases to be distinguished from confirmed infections. Increased and expanded screening may raise the number of people suspected of having diphtheria without all of them actually being infected.
The situation comes three days after the announcement on 27 October of two children dying in a diphtheria outbreak in Salé.
