NT Health authorities MIA as diphtheria spreads across the outback

Amid Australia's worst diphtheria outbreak in decades, public health messaging in the NT has been hard to find. (ABC News: Xavier Martin) Link copiedShareShare articleThe largest outbreak of diphtheria since Australian records began is spreading through the outback. A vaccine-preventable disease usually only found in developing countries, 220 cases have been detected across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland so far this year, with one death in the territory and 25 per cent of diagnosed patients hospitalised. Of the 220 cases, 60 per cent have been recorded in the NT Once a major cause of childhood deaths, diphtheria was largely eliminated through vaccination. Health authorities say falling immunity may now be helping the disease spread again. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said yesterday the outbreak was "very, very concerning", particularly in the NT. "We've been recording case numbers nationally for about 35 years, and this by a very big distance is the biggest outbreak of diphtheria we've ever seen," he said. But amid the crisis, there has been a noticeable lack of public information and communication from NT health authorities, which are now coming under pressure to improve messaging. Despite the seriousness of the outbreak, the NT Health Department and Health Minister Steve Edgington are yet to hold a press conference on the issue, ever since the first cases were announced in late March. Until yesterday, there had been no mention of diphtheria on NT Health's Facebook page since April 28, while social media communication in Indigenous languages has been absent, and answers to specific questions have been hard to come by. In contrast, SA, WA and Queensland health ministers and authorities have been front-footed on the issue, holding press conferences and giving media interviews in recent days, as has the federal health minister. Despite interstate health ministers holding press conferences on diphtheria, the NT's Steve Edgington has yet to do so. (ABC News: Dane Hirst) The lack of communication in the NT has left a number of important questions unanswered, including around vaccine availability, hotspot areas, possible lockdowns and whether this strain of diphtheria is new or more resistant to vaccines. Last week, it was left to John Boffa at the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress to announce a diphtheria death had occurred in a remote NT area. Falsehoods about diphtheria are spreading online as a worsening outbreak of the disease affects Indigenous communities. It was not until yesterday that authorities clarified when and where the death occurred, though autopsy results are yet to be finalised. Since NT Chief Health Officer Paul Burgess recently returned from an 11-day overseas trip, NT Health has been more forthcoming with the media. Dr Burgess gave four interviews with the ABC yesterday, in which he said NT Health's response had been "proportionate" and the department had been "extremely active" in communicating with "Aboriginal media and communication partners". He also said NT Health had provided "very strong joint leadership" in responding to the outbreak, along with Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. Paul Burgess is the Northern Territory's Chief Health Officer. (ABC News: Tristan Hooft) "While that's not obvious to the mainstream media, there's been a lot of effort with multimedia, social media — community-driven preferences around communication," he said. But NT Shadow Health Minister Chansey Paech said NT Health should be leading public messaging, not only on diphtheria, but also on Murray Valley encephalitis, which has killed two people in the past two months. "NT Health should be fronting the media and making sure Territorians hear clear advice directly from the people responsible for giving it," he said. Chansey Paech has criticised the NT Health department for its lack of public health messaging. (ABC News: Dane Hirst) "Diphtheria cases were first reported in March, Murray Valley encephalitis was detected in Darwin in May, and Territorians are now learning about deaths that occurred weeks and months ago. "We understand the chief health officer has been on leave, but public health communication cannot stop when one person is away. "NT Health has a deputy chief health officer and senior public health officials for exactly this reason." Around 95 per cent of the diphtheria cases across the country have been recorded in remote Aboriginal communities. Adelaide University professor of biostatistics and epidemiology, Adrian Esterman, said communication played a crucial role in stopping the spread in the bush. Adrian Esterman says public health messaging is key to improving health outcomes of patients with diphtheria. (ABC News: Carl Saville) "It's important that people understand that they need to get into a clinic so that they can get the vaccine, which actually stops the toxin from harming the body.

NT Health authorities MIA as diphtheria spreads across the outback

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