UPDATE::Six Year Old Boy With Diphtheria In Catalonia Dies | The Spain Report

It is with great sadness that I post the following,,,

The six year old boy in Olot (Catalonia) who became ill with diphtheria died overnight at the Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona, a spokeswoman for the Catalan regional health authorities confirmed to The Spain Report by telephone.

Six Year Old Boy With Diphtheria In Catalonia Dies | The Spain Report

UPDATE::Eight more children infected with diphtheria - The Local

Catalonia’s regional ministry of health confirmed on Monday at lunchtime that a further eight cases have been detected among the school friends of the original child, but that they have not developed the illness.

All of the eight had been vaccinated against diphtheria. The children have been isolated and are being treated with antibiotics to prevent the onset of the illness.

The original six-year-old boy, a resident of Olot near Girona, is still being treated for diphtheria after first showing symptoms on May 25th. His condition is described by authorities as “serious but stable” where he is being treated at the Vall de Hebron hospital in Barcelona.

In other words, the DTP vaccination has done its job!!

Let me explain,,,

Diphtheria is caused by an exotoxin secreted by corynebacterium diphtheria.  If an individual who is vaccinated gets infected, the DTP vaccination gives the immune system the added memory to ward off the effects of the exotoxin.  More aptly stated, it teaches the immune system how to counter the diphtheria toxin.  But, as this incident shows, the infection still needs to be treated but not the effects of the exotoxin.  In essence the 8 children are asymptomatic carriers of sorts.

The regional health councillor, Boi Ruiz, said during a press conference that the eight new cases, all in children: “have not developed the illness thanks to their vaccinations, but they have been kept at home to avoid them spreading [the disease] to the 3% of children in the district of Garrotxa who are not vaccinated”.

“We swabbed 57 children near to the infected [child] and the bacteria is present in eight.”

So I will say again, this is a perfect example of a vaccine doing the "job" it was "designed" for.

Eight more children infected with diphtheria - The Local

Parents of diphtheria-stricken boy feel “tricked” by anti-vaccination groups | In English | EL PAÍS

For those that think not vaccinating your child(ren) has no consequence,,,

The parents of the six-year-old boy who became the first person to contract diphtheria in Spain since 1987 said they feel “tricked” by the anti-vaccination groups they once admired.

“The family is devastated and admit that they feel tricked, because they were not properly informed,” said Catalan public health chief Antoni Mateu. “They have a deep sense of guilt, which we are trying to rid them of.”
 
The child remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Vall d’Hebron hospital in Barcelona.

The health department said that the patient was responding well to the treatment – an anti-toxin that had to be urgently imported from Russia and France as it had not been prescribed in Spain for three decades. Madrid issued an international call for help, and the Russian ambassador to Spain managed to get the first dose flown in from Moscow earlier this week.

“The anti-toxin is doing its job, and we see that in the way things are getting resolved, but we cannot predict how it will progress,” warned Mateu.

The health official rejected the possibility of charging the parents for the treatment their son is receiving.

“In no way are we considering that option. There are two victims here: the child and the parents,” said Mateu

Parents of diphtheria-stricken boy feel “tricked” by anti-vaccination groups | In English | EL PAÍS