Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection caused by *Corynebacterium diphtheriae*. It primarily affects the nose and throat, forming a thick gray membrane, but can also involve the skin. While rare in vaccinated populations, it can be life-threatening if untreated.
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Diphtheria has a long and devastating history, causing major epidemics globally, especially among children, before the 20th century. The bacterium responsible, *Corynebacterium diphtheriae*, was identified by Edwin Klebs in 1884. The development of an antitoxin and later a highly effective vaccine dramatically reduced its incidence and mortality, making its control a major public health success story.
Diphtheria primarily spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets released when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or talks. Less commonly, it can be transmitted through direct contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated objects. Close and prolonged contact is generally required for transmission.
Contagious Period: Varies by disease
Local health department information and state-specific prevention guidance
Our AI-powered surveillance continuously monitors Diphtheria activity across Montana. We track data from state health departments, local hospitals, CDC reports, and 50+ global health sources to provide early warning of emerging threats.
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For official state health alerts, vaccination locations, and public health guidance specific to Montana, visit your state health department's website.
Whether you live in Montana or are traveling there, knowing the symptoms, timeline, and when to seek care helps you act quickly if exposure occurs.
Seek care if you experience severe dehydration, bloody stools, high fever, or symptoms lasting more than 3 days. Children under 5, adults over 65, and immunocompromised individuals should seek care earlier.
Emergency symptoms: Severe dehydration, inability to keep fluids down for 12 or more hours, or neurological symptoms require emergency care.
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Trusted information from leading health organizations
Official guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
View CDC Resources →Global disease surveillance and guidelines from the World Health Organization
View WHO Resources →Disease information on Virus Watcher is reviewed by our Chief Epidemiologist, a former CDC lead analyst for FluSight forecasting. Outbreak data is aggregated from verified sources including BEACON, ProMED, WHO, CDC, and 50+ national health agencies. This information is for educational purposes and should not replace professional medical advice.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-01
No confirmed cases reported in Montana yet. Here are the latest Diphtheria reports from our global surveillance network.
More than 16,000 children among over 32,000 confirmed diphtheria cases recorded in Kano State since 2022 had never received any vaccination against the disease, the Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Prof Muhammad Abbas, has disclosed. Abbas described…
The Federal Government has deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccines to Katsina and Kano states and activated an emergency task force to contain an outbreak of the disease among children in the two states. The development was contained in a press release signed by the Assist…
Diphtheria cases are on the rise in Australia [FILE] (Image: Getty Images) Australia is battling its worst diphtheria outbreak in decades, with more than 230 cases reported this year and one confirmed death, prompting urgent travel warnings for unvaccinated Britons. Health author…
The Kano State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to supply additional diphtheria vaccines to enable the state to conduct mass vaccination against the disease across the state. The Director-General, Kano State Centre for Disease Control, Prof. Muhammad Abbas, made…
The trial dried out the tetanus-diphtheria vaccine with trehalose to protect its vital components. Prof Saul Faust, the director of the NIHR Clinical Research Facility in Southampton, said it gave "equivalent" immune responses to the conventional vaccine as well as being "safe a…
This event envelope contains reports on diphtheria in Czechia. *Source: BEACON* - [View Full Report](https://beaconbio.org/en/event/?eventid=3afebce2-1ee9-446f-8a33-34b1ab14b2d3)
Vaccination coverage in Romania remained below recommended levels in 2025, shows a report published on Wednesday by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the released data, tens of thousands of children were not immunised against serious diseases such as me…
Nigeria has recorded 65,759 suspected cases of diphtheria and 2,229 deaths since the outbreak began in 2022, underscoring the continued threat posed by the vaccine-preventable disease despite recent gains in containment efforts. The latest figures, released by the Nigeria Centre …
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