Unvaccinated boy dies of diphtheria

A SIX-YEAR-OLD Spanish boy whose parents refused vaccinations for him has died of diphtheria, the first in the country to contract the disease in 29 years.

A six-year-old Spanish boy whose parents refused vaccinations for him has died of diphtheria.

OFFICIALS say a six-year-old boy who had been the first child to contract diphtheria in Spain in 29 years has died from the disease in a Barcelona hospital.

BIANCA Pont, spokeswoman for the Vall d'Hebron university hospital, said in a statement that the patient, who had been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit on May 30, died in the early hours of Saturday.