Diphtheria Outbreak Challenges Yuendumu Community
A remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory, Yuendumu, located about 300km from Alice Springs, is facing difficulties amid a diphtheria outbreak. Residents report a lack of hand sanitiser at the local health clinic and insufficient information on disease prevention and protocols following a positive test.
Since October, Australia has recorded over 240 cases of diphtheria, a disease previously eradicated, according to data from the Australian Centre for Disease Control. Yuendumu, with a population of approximately 700, is among the largest clusters in the NT.
Local Concerns Over Health Clinic Conditions and Communication
Yuendumu’s health clinic and community health centre have been described by several locals as frequently "unsanitary" and lacking hand sanitiser. Despite the Territory government providing resources in multiple Indigenous languages, including Warlpiri—the language spoken in Yuendumu—residents express limited understanding of diphtheria and minimal visibility of public health information.
"The thing about this outbreak is that we’ve never been told what it is," said Warlpiri man Eugene Penhall. "How we live as Aboriginal people, we have 10 people in one house. They could be carrying this thing that we don’t even know about and it’s really, really bad."
Penhall shared that he only became aware of the outbreak when visiting the health clinic for an unrelated matter. He was informed about the vaccine and received it but lacked detailed information about the disease.
"They just give me the vaccine and told me about this new thing [diphtheria] and I don’t even know what this thing does … I asked if this was like Covid but with this one, we’ve never been told to do anything. We’ve been living close to one another, walking around and doing normal stuff."
Increased Medical Support and Ongoing Information Gaps
Another Warlpiri resident, Ryan Woods, noted that the Royal Flying Doctor Service has increased its visits to the community from weekly to daily since the outbreak began. Woods reported that relatives in his household contracted diphtheria, although he is not residing there currently. He emphasized the absence of guidance on preventing transmission.
"There’s no hand sanitiser anywhere. I’ve seen people go to the clinic, wait one hour and then leave because no one is looking to help them," Woods said.
The Northern Territory government did not respond to inquiries regarding the lack of hand sanitiser at the clinic or the reported absence of information about isolation procedures to prevent disease spread.
Previously, an NT Health spokesperson stated that the Yuendumu Health Centre remains operational and that no local residents have been denied health services.
"NT Health continues to engage and consult with Aboriginal health organisations and primary care services to inform the community and increase vaccination," the spokesperson said. "This includes contact tracing, testing, regular education sessions with vaccine providers and increased vaccination in communities, including Yuendumu."
Delays in Test Results and Lack of Isolation Guidance
Julie Watson, who has lived and worked in Yuendumu for two years as a programs coordinator for the Southern Tanami Kurdiji Indigenous Corporation, reported that residents face a three-week wait for diphtheria test results, compared to four days when tested at Alice Springs hospital.
"Everyone has been told that there is a three-week minimum wait before they get a result," Watson said. "People are being told to isolate, but they are not being told how long they need to isolate for, so we don’t know. Like, what PPE we might need to wear, like gloves, masks or whatever. There’s been no education whatsoever for community."
Watson also indicated that local service providers were not promptly informed about the outbreak.
"Nobody really knew what the sickness was, nobody from the health clinic let anybody know what it was," she said. "Cases were increasing and we were hearing the plane fly in more than we would normally hear, so people were getting evacuated and nobody was quite sure why.
"I guess it eventually leaked from the clinic that it was diphtheria and given that it is such an old illness, we didn’t really know what that was because it hasn’t been around for a long time."
Government Response and Community Feedback
The NT government did not issue a health alert about the diphtheria outbreak until March, several months after the initial cases were reported. Since then, pop-up vaccination clinics have been established in Darwin, Katherine, and Alice Springs, along with a mobile unit operating in central Australia. The Australian government announced a $7.2 million package to support the response, including $5.2 million for a surge workforce to administer booster vaccinations. Public health advertisements have been broadcast in Indigenous languages on local radio, and posters and infographics have been distributed to community-controlled health networks, according to an NT Health spokesperson.
Despite these efforts, community members like Penhall feel the response has lacked clarity.
"The government needs to let people know if these sorts of things happen," Penhall said.
