By Charles Lefebvre

AHS confirms Medicine Hat student diagnosed with diphtheria

Jun 25, 2018 | 4:20 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Alberta Health Services and SD76 has confirmed a case of diphtheria has been discovered in Medicine Hat.

A student at Elm Street School was confirmed to have contracted the disease earlier this month. A letter was sent home to parents last week, informing them about the illness.

No other cases have been reported at the school, says SD76 superintendent Mark Davidson, who adds they’ve been in regular communication with AHS.

“We take our guidance from the Medical Officer of Health in all aspects of communicable disease communication,” he said. “When they indicate to us that it’s important to communicate out to families who are concerned and their recommendations in terms of prevention, we act very quickly in partnership with them.”

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The letter says the risk of other students at the school being diagnosed with diphtheria is very low.

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection of the nose, throat and skin. Symptoms of the illness include a sore throat, fever, chills and difficulty swallowing. In severe cases, diphtheria can be fatal.

The illness is rare in Alberta, with only two cases reported throughout the province in 2017.

There were no cases from 2008-2016 in Alberta, according to Alberta Health Services.

Diphtheria is part of a child’s regular immunization schedule, with the first dosage given at two months, says AHS. The letter advises parents to contact their Public Health Clinic to check and see if they or their children are up to date on their immunizations.

Diphtheria can also be treated with antibiotics.