Latvia: Unvaccinated boy dies of diphtheria

A four-year-old boy in Latvia died of diphtheria at the Children’s Clinical University Hospital (BKUS) in Riga on 16 September 2024, LSM reports. The boy was unvaccinated for the preventable disease. Four children, including two of the dead boy’s sisters, were treated for diphtheria at the hospital. The parents, who took the sisters out of the hospital against the advice of doctors, were detained on suspicion of criminal neglect, according to LETA. Meanwhile, Health Minister Hosams Abu Meri convened an expert meeting to discuss legislation on mandatory vaccination, LETA reported. Currently, parents can refuse to vaccinate their children against infectious diseases, LETA reports. Abu Meri called for stricter rules on mandatory vaccination and more restrictions on vaccination-related misinformation. Two children have died in Latvia due to lack of vaccination so far in 2024, LSM reports.