Ursula Wiedermann

Following an increase in diphtheria cases in Europe since 2022, we retrospectively estimated the prevalence of seroprotection against diphtheria and tetanus in 10,247 Austrian residents (population: 8,978,929) voluntarily tested between 2018 and 2022. Lack of seroprotection against diphtheria was found in 36% compared with 4% against tetanus. The geometric mean antibody concentration against tetanus was 7.9-fold higher compared with that for diphtheria. Raising awareness of regular booster vaccinations against diphtheria in combination with tetanus and pertussis is urgently needed.