DIPHTHERIA IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BY 2010-2022

Abstract

Diphtheria is a serious, potentially fatal infectious disease in susceptible individuals. Diphtheria is caused by the toxin produced by strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and/or C. ulcerans or C. pseudotuberculosis. The number of cases of diphtheria is relatively low in many European countries due to the functioning of vaccination programs, but diphtheria may now return due to the increase in the number of unvaccinated people, largely due to the increase in refusal and population migration. We would like to draw attention to the phenomenon described in Europe that can also manifest itself in our country, namely the increase in the number of diphtheria cases in the context of population migration induced by the war in Ukraine.