Girl dies in Palermo; ISS confirms: it is diphtheria. Task force set up to vaccinate children in Sicily

The spotlight is on diphtheria in Sicily. A task force will be responsible for monitoring any cases of diphtheria and proposing measures not only to limit the spread of the bacterium within the region, but also to increase the uptake of childhood vaccinations in general. Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health has confirmed that samples taken from the little girl who died at the Children’s Hospital in Palermo have tested positive for diphtheria. “Tests on samples received from the Arnas Civico hospital where Cristina Benfratelli was treated have returned positive for Corynebacterium diphtheriae and have detected the toxin gene responsible for respiratory diphtheria”, which caused the death of the four-year-old girl, the ISS has announced.

The working group in Sicily was set up by the Regional Councillor for Health, Marcello Caruso, by means of a decree that has just been signed. The initiative comes just a few days after the death of a four-year-old girl in Palermo. The task force will monitor developments in the suspected diphtheria outbreak and draw up a plan of extraordinary measures to limit the potential spread of the bacterium. It will also propose measures to achieve optimal coverage for compulsory vaccinations – diphtheria coverage in Sicily stands at 85 per cent, compared with the optimal threshold of 95 per cent recommended by the WHO – and for those under the Regional Vaccination Plan, in the 0–24-month age group, as well as for the first booster dose scheduled for the 5–6-year-old age group and linked to entry into the first year of primary school. Particular attention will be paid to measles vaccinations, in light of an increase in the circulation of the virus reported by the Higher Institute of Health and in national epidemiological bulletins. “Among the task force’s responsibilities,” explains Councillor Caruso, “is also that of managing and encouraging collaboration between Local Health Authorities (ASPs), paediatricians chosen by patients, general practitioners and universities. Indeed, it is only with everyone’s contribution that we can improve vaccination coverage, which has seen a significant decline since the Covid-19 pandemic. We would like to remind you that parents play a vital role, and we ask for their full cooperation: for this reason, we will be running a vaccination awareness and communication campaign aimed primarily at them.”