Australia has confirmed two cases of diphtheria, a contagious and potentially fatal throat infection, in two children from northern New South Wales.
It is the first time the disease has been detected in the state in a century.
A two-year-old child contracted the disease and was admitted to intensive care in a Queensland hospital on July 2.
A six-year-old boy who is a close family contact of the toddler was also admitted to the hospital with a case of the illness the next day.
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that is spread mainly through respiratory droplets during close contact with an infected person and can be potentially life-threatening….