Diphtheria in the Former Soviet Union: Reemergence of a Pandemic Disease

• Main Authors: Charles R. Vitek, Melinda Wharton
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1998-12-01
• Series: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Estonia; Georgia; Kazakhstan
• Online Access: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/4/4/98-0404_article

The massive reemergence of diphtheria in the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union marked the first large-scale diphtheria epidemic in industrialized countries in 3 decades. Factors contributing to the epidemic included a large population of susceptible adults; decreased childhood immunization, which compromised what had been a well-established childhood vaccination program; suboptimal socioeconomic conditions; and high population movement. The role of a change in the predominant circulating strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae in this epidemic remains uncertain. Massive, well-coordinated international assistance and unprecedented efforts to vaccinate adults were needed to control the epidemic.