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Ongoing toxin-positive diphtheria outbreaks in a federal asylum centre in Switzerland, analysis July to September 2022
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Jacob Kofler1,*
, Alban Ramette2,*
, Patricia Iseli3 , Lea Stauber2
, Jens Fichtner1 , Sara Droz2 , Annina Zihler Berner2 , Anna Bettina Meier1 , Michelle Begert4 , Sabine Negri4 , Anne Jachmann1 , Peter Michael Keller2,**
, Cornelia Staehelin5,**
, Barbara Grützmacher1,**
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View Affiliations Hide AffiliationsAffiliations: 1 Cantonal Medical Office, Health Directorate of the Canton of Bern, Bern, Switzerland 2 Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland 3 Staff Medical Service, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland 4 Staff Medical Service, Federal Asylum Center, Bern, Switzerland 5 Department of Infectious Diseases, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland* These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.** These authors contributed equally to this work and share last authorship.Correspondence:Barbara Grützmacherbarbara.gruetzmacher be.ch
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Citation style for this article: Kofler Jacob, Ramette Alban, Iseli Patricia, Stauber Lea, Fichtner Jens, Droz Sara, Zihler Berner Annina, Meier Anna Bettina, Begert Michelle, Negri Sabine, Jachmann Anne, Keller Peter Michael, Staehelin Cornelia, Grützmacher Barbara. Ongoing toxin-positive diphtheria outbreaks in a federal asylum centre in Switzerland, analysis July to September 2022. Euro Surveill. 2022;27(44):pii=2200811. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.44.2200811 Received: 19 Oct 2022; Accepted: 03 Nov 2022
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Abstract
Two diphtheria outbreaks occurred in a Swiss asylum center from July to October 2022, one is still ongoing. Outbreaks mainly involved minors and included six symptomatic respiratory diphtheria cases requiring antitoxin. Phylogenomic analyses showed evidence of imported and local transmissions of toxigenic strains in respiratory and skin lesion samples. Given the number of cases (n = 20) and the large genetic diversity accumulating in one centre, increased awareness and changes in public health measures are required to prevent and control diphtheria outbreaks.

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