Dr. G. Thirumalaisamy, the recently retired Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services who is now a practising ENT surgeon, has said he came across two cases of diphtheria within a week in his private practice in Dharapuram.
“Both were women. One of them, aged 23, died after she was referred to a more sophisticated hospital elsewhere and another patient, aged 45, is presently under treatment,” he told The Hindu . Dr. Thirumalaisamy expressed concern about the low level of awareness among the population of the importance of vaccinations against diseases.
Immunisation against diphtheria should have to pick up in the district to avoid any spread of the disease. Awareness levels on the need for immunisation on adults against many diseases continued to be low, he said.
