The death of a six-year-old non-immunised boy from Malappuram district due to diphtheria has brought back the debate on making vaccination compulsory. Jinesh P.S., public health activist and one of the admins of the Infoclinic Facebook page, suggested that making vaccination mandatory for school admissions would help bring down such deaths in the future. Dr. Purushothaman said that the latest death underscored the need to immediately cover non-immunised pockets. Diphtheria — a disease caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria — infects the throat and upper airways, and produces a toxin affecting other organs. Meanwhile, K. Sakkeena, District Medical Officer, Malappuram, said that vaccination camps would be organised in the area where the family live.

Source: The Hindu June 12, 2019 14:26 UTC