Algeria’s Health Ministry has confirmed five cases of diphtheria in the eastern province of Skikda, including two deaths, local media reported.
The victims include a 25-year-old foreign national and a 12-year-old girl who had not been vaccinated against the bacterial infection.
Health authorities said they launched an epidemiological investigation and began preventive vaccination campaigns in affected areas to contain the spread.
According to reports from Echorouk and Al-Araby, over 500 people were vaccinated within 48 hours as part of an emergency response plan.
Diphtheria, once largely eradicated through childhood immunization, has resurfaced in several regions in recent years amid declining vaccination coverage.
The World Health Organization has not yet issued a statement on the outbreak.
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