Diphtheria in Haiti: 159 confirmed cases in the first 5 months of 2026
Since the beginning of the year through the end of May, Haiti reported 159 confirmed diphtheria cases (157 by laboratory testing and two by epidemiological link) and five confirmed deaths. This compares to 58 confirmed cases and four deaths during the same period in 2025.
Confirmed cases have been reported in all ten departments of the country; the greatest proportion have been identified in the departments of Ouest (n= 58 cases), followed by SudEst (n= 36 cases), and Nord-Est (n= 27 cases).
A Heart for Haiti with Dr. John Carroll
The highest proportion of confirmed cases occurred among the 20 years and older age group, accounting for 40% of cases (n= 63 cases), followed by the 5–9 years age group with 19% (n= 30 cases) and the 1–4 years of age group with 14% of cases (n= 22 cases).
Concerning vaccination coverage in the country, in 2025, Haiti’s DPT3 coverage was 77%. In 2025, 44% of municipalities achieved 80% or higher DPT3 coverage; the remaining municipalities fell below this threshold.
Other countries reporting diphtheria in the Western hemisphere include Brazil (2) and Peru (2).