The 2001 serological survey in the Czech Republic - Diphtheria

Cent Eur J Public Health 2003, 11(Supplement):S7-S12

The 2001 serological survey in the Czech Republic - Diphtheria

Kříž B.^1,2: ¹ Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health, Prague; ² 3rd Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Diphtheria morbidity in the Czech part of former Czechoslovakia showed a continuous downward trend between 1946 and 1974. Afterwards, sporadic cases of diphtheria were reported in some years.
Compulsory vaccination against diphtheria was started in 1946 with a monovaccine, later replaced by bivaccine DiTe. Since 1958, newborns have been vaccinated with DiTePe vaccine. As many as 98 % to 100 % of the population of age groups under 50 years likely to have been vaccinated have antibody levels >0.01 IU/ml. About 83 % to 88 % of the older age groups who represent a naturally immunized population have antibodies as well. This immune status excludes the possibility that diphtheria could spread massively if accidentally imported into the Czech Republic.