In 2016, more than 7,000 diphtheria cases were reported worldwide with about half reported in India. In addition, diphtheria hasn’t been seen in Venezuela in decades; however, under a socialist, dictatorial regime, Venezuela has seen the comeback of this vaccine preventable killer to the tune of 450 cases since the summer of 2016.
In this podcast, I briefly talk a little about the history of diphtheria and some recent epidemics.
I was also joined by Senior Associate with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja, MD who answered questions about transmission, pathology, complications, treatment and the vaccines.
When I asked if there was a diphtheria outbreak in the US, would we be seeing an anti-vaccine movement?, Dr Adalja said, “I don’t think so. Diphtheria is such a dangerous disease with such a high mortality rate that it would really bring people to their senses..the anti-vaccine movement…to see what a vaccine-preventable disease would do and what a plague diphtheria was.”
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What a clumsy and insulting fellow? People did come to thier senses. They are considering each vaccine by risk vs merit, not maximum industry sales and resultant autism, alzheimers and other effects of vaccine abuse. That is the word. When diseases have been eradicated from any global region, vaccines are for sales and more risk than merit.
The combo vaccine that broke the SIDS back was profound enough to throw the light of scrutiny on a ruthless and previously unquestioned high profit industry that is now even more out of control. We will scrutinize each vaccine product offered and insist on clear labeling of recombinant and alleged dna vaccine products and we will continue to test products in a time of war wherein disease is a primary weapon.